OUT of a total of 73 families seeking assistance across NSW, Ronald McDonald House in Orange has housed 57 of those since opening in April, 2015.
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Unlike in other health districts around NSW, Orange McDonald House supports families of child and adolescent mental health.
Ten families from Forbes, nine from Condobolin, nine from Cowra and nine from Parkes are just some of the numbers that demonstrate the importance of the Orange house, which covers five health districts (86 per cent) of NSW.
Given the demand for assistance in the area, the Northparkes Mines workers put their hand up to assist once again yesterday, with the building of a brand new cubbyhouse.
According to executive officer Rebecca Walsh, the new addition will go a long way to improving the health of children and their families staying in Orange.
"It's going to make a huge difference to have somewhere outside of the house in a safe and secure environment where children can play, it's a critical aspect for the house," she said.
"We have some play areas inside but during the nice times of the year it's important to have an area outside where families can sit and watch their children play.
"It's important for parents to keep their little ones active and busy."
Northparkes Mines workers, who helped put the cubbyhouse together yesterday, came on board last year when they donated $10,000 to the charity.
Their assistance on Wednesday however, involved more than just opening the cheque book.
"The money Northparkes Mines donated is going towards our teenagers’ retreat," Rebecca Walsh said.
"This community working bee is something they do a lot of as well, they are very active in the community and they wanted to come on board and bring a crew across to help put the cubbyhouse together.
"They also filled our garden beds with soil so we can get planting so we have lovely fruit, vegetables and herbs for our families.
"We could not have done this without the Northparkes Mines crew and also the Canobolas Lions Club who cooked the barbecue and also donated and assembled the garden beds."
Northparkes Mines specialist at community and external relations, Justine Fisher was at Orange yesterday to oversee the project. She explained the importance of the donation of time and money given the demand for assistance by families in the area.
"For an organisation like Ronald McDonald House we will always be looking for ways to see how we can help, which can be through our volunteer league program," she said.
"For the benefit of the Central West we want our relationship with Ronald McDonald House to be long term, we can see the great work they're trying to do to support families across Parkes and Forbes in particular, and further west.
As the cubbyhouse was assembled by the Northparkes Mines crew yesterday, Rebecca Walsh said there were some very interested onlookers.
"We had a family watching with their two-year-old girl," she said.
"She was eagerly awaiting the cubbyhouse, watching like a hawk - she was very excited to go out and have a play."
bryson.ferreira@fairfaxmedia.com.au