LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Residents of the Ronald McDonald House welcomed special guests on Thursday, who will soon be well-known across the bluegrass.

University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope’s new team has been in Lexington for two weeks and is already planting roots throughout the community.

After an early morning practice on Thursday, some team members made the trek across campus to the Ronald McDonald house to pack “lunches with love.”

“We know this is a new team and we’re so excited to see the impact they’re going to bring to our community. It means so much to us that they’ve chosen to give their time, their talent, their treasure,” Chelsi McDonald, Chief Philanthropy Officer, said. “By coming here today, they’re going to be making lunches with love for our guest’s families. They’ll be making about 100, which is the average number that we give out each month, free of charge to families who are utilizing UK health care’s Kentucky Children’s Hospital.”

Ronald McDonald House’s mission is to keep families close to their sick children and the medical care that they need, and UK teammates volunteered their time to learn about the organization’s importance. Players were able to tour the facility and meet residents before jumping in to volunteer.

“It means a lot to me, you know, especially being able to serve the organization and the people of Kentucky. It means a lot because putting on his jersey means a lot to a lot of people in the state, and they do a lot to support us,” Ashley Almonor, a senior transfer, said. “So being able to give back really means a lot to me. Laying the roots down for the future generations that come behind us so that they know this is a standard here and now. We serve these people and they mean a lot to us.”

Many volunteers split into groups and compete to see who can fill bags the fastest. However, this new team had a different approach, teamwork.

“Coach Pope has really emphasized getting to know each other and getting to work together just because we’re all new,” Walker Horn, Kentucky Guard, said. “So I think it was just another opportunity to learn how to work with each other and learn about one another.”

“Coach Pope told us all that he understood the assignment and that gratitude was what this team was going to understand. And that has never been,” McDonald said. “I’ve never felt that more than I have from this coach and these players already.”