Ronald McDonald House was first established in 1974 to provide a home away from home for out of town families of seriously ill children who were being treated as patients at the local children’s medical center. Today, there are 322 Ronald McDonald Houses and 46 Care Mobiles serving the same mission in hundreds of cities around the world. Included in the list are houses in Pittsburgh, Hershey and Danville.
In 1984, in memory of Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald’s Corporation, Ronald McDonald House Charities was established nationally to provide financial grants to qualifying not-for-profit organizations involved with youth. The simple objective was to help young people lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. In 1991, the Mid-Penn Chapter of RMHC was formed to directly serve organizations within the central Pennsylvania area.
McDonald’s plays a big role in making our ideas a reality. The McDonald’s system, including local Owner/Operators, suppliers, employees and customers assist in creating successful programs for our families. The support given from McDonald’s ranges from monetary contributions to volunteerism and board participation as we all try to give as much as we can to our local children and their families in need.
Franchisees partner with us for promotional and fundraising events (Slushie Fundraiser January 2022. Most recent Pittsburgh Penguins Cup Kozies check presented at the Tomahawks game)
McDonald’s employees are dedicated volunteers.
Owner Operators and/or Company representatives participate on our board of directors.
RMHC Donation Boxes and the Round-up program in the McDonald’s App and on the ordering kiosks hosted in restaurants are our largest source of ongoing fundraising.
Although McDonald’s is our largest corporate donor, no company can solely fund RMHC programs. We greatly value any support you can afford to RMHC Mid-Penn, whether it’s through cash donations, your time or fundraising efforts.