Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities is a non-profit organization with local chapters currently operating in 51 countries and regions. Each local Ronald McDonald House is a separate public charity, operated by a local Board of Directors.
Understanding the McDonald’s Partnership
Did you know– If every Birmingham McDonald’s customer contributed one penny to the Donation Box at each visit, we would raise $440,000 to help families in need here at the Birmingham Ronald McDonald House each year!
Also, one penny from every Happy Meal purchased is given to Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Learn all the ways McDonald’s fund-raises for the House!
The partnership between McDonald’s Corporation and Ronald McDonald House Charities and its programs dates back to the inception of the charitable organization. In 1974, when an unlikely partnership was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between an NFL team, a children’s hospital, and McDonald’s Restaurant, none of its members could have imagined that their dream of a “home-away-from-home” for families of seriously-ill children would grow to have international reach. They simply wanted to create a place where parents of sick children could be close to their children and others who could provide emotional support.
Today, you can find support and participation from McDonald’s Corporation, its owner/operators, crew members, suppliers and business partners at every level of the charity’s activity – U.S., international, corporate, division, regional and local. Members of the McDonald’s Family serve as volunteers on the boards and committees of the local chapters, working alongside other members of their communities.
Together they tackle the challenges of operating a public charity – raising necessary funds and awareness and delivering program services to children and their families.
While McDonald’s the corporation is a mission partner, Ronald McDonald House Charities is neither owned nor fully funded by McDonald’s. Each year local McDonald’s owner/operators and their customers provide about 25-30% of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama’s operating budget. RMHCA is licensed, managed and funded locally, and we depend on local support from the community to raise the majority of our budget.
Several McDonald’s owner/operators volunteer as members of our Board and serve as meal volunteers. Our local owner/operators are big supporters of our fundraising events such as Red Shoe Run, our Golf Tournament, and the Heart of the House Gala and have donation promotions each year in their stores, including Day of Change.
McDonald’s customers show their support by donating change in the restaurant donation canisters and purchasing Happy Meals, and these donations help local families. Additionally, McDonald’s supports the RMHC Global organization which provides training and support. McDonald’s suppliers, such as Coca-Cola are also donors to the Alabama Chapter of RMHC.
