SOUTH PORTLAND – Sitting by the bed of a sick child is heart wrenching and stressful, but for families at the local Ronald McDonald House, that tension has been eased in recent weeks by the chance to dine for free at the Olive Garden restaurant in South Portland.

Every year Olive Garden restaurants across the country hand out family pasta passes to a deserving person in the community, but this year Pamela Bolduc, general manager of the local franchise, decided to go one step further and donate the pass to those staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Portland.

Each week through Nov. 22, staff at the house will choose one family or volunteer to receive the pasta pass, which comes with the opportunity to eat a nourishing meal and spend quality time together.

The pass is good for the Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta, soup or salad, breadsticks and soft drinks, according to Bolduc. The families can also use the pass at any time during the week and at any time of day.

Ashley MacMillan, community relations manager at the Ronald McDonald House, said the chance for a respite from their stress and worry means “a great deal” to the families who use the house while their children are hospitalized for medical treatment.

MacMillan also noted that the families of sick children “are often under financial hardship due to mounting medical bills, and this (pasta pass) provides the opportunity to dine out at no cost.”

She said the staff at the Ronald McDonald House are also “always seeking new and exciting ways to show appreciation to our many tireless volunteers. (Now) the Olive Garden has provided the perfect vehicle.”

MacMillan said that in addition to providing a pasta pass for the families at the house, “Olive Garden also asked us to reach out to our volunteers. As a thank you to them, they can enter a drawing to treat their own families for the night.”

She said the families that have used the pasta pass since it was given to the Ronald McDonald House in early October are “both excited and grateful for Olive Garden’s generosity.”

Although the restaurant participates in the house’s guest chef program each month, MacMillan said, the chance to actually go out and get away from it all is precious to the families staying at the house.

MacMillan said as a nonprofit that can be called on to serve as many as 21 families a night, community support is vital to the Ronald McDonald House being able to achieve its mission.

Along with the guest chef program, she said there are various other ways for organizations or individuals to get involved, including volunteering at the house, attending fundraising events, providing in-kind donations or even adopting a room.

Overall, MacMillan said, “Olive Garden has been a supporter of the Ronald McDonald House since 1999 and their partnership has only grown since then. They have a true dedication to our mission and to the children and families we serve.”

Bolduc, the restaurant manager, said she gave the family pasta pass to the Ronald McDonald House so that the families staying there “can enjoy a nice, complimentary meal (and) hopefully help relieve some stress in their lives.”

She said the other goal of giving away the pasta pass, was for the house to acknowledge the hard work of the volunteers “who work tirelessly to take care of the Ronald McDonald House families.”

In all, Bolduc said, she and her restaurant staff hope the pasta pass “will give the families and volunteers a chance to relax and spend time with their loved ones.”

She added, “Giving back to the community is important to my entire restaurant team and we are truly grateful and happy to support such an impactful organization as the Ronald McDonald House.”