Where Family Stays
Imagine being a child with a chronic or life-threatening illness – frightened, hurting, questioning. Now imagine being that child's parent – short on answers, long on helplessness, and scared beyond words. What both need most are each other.
Ronald McDonald House® South Central Ontario provides families in crisis a home away from home when life is far from ordinary.
Opened in 1993, our 41-bedroom House located just steps away from the hospital serves families from across the region. Whether you're from Niagara to Hamilton-Halton, from Brant to Kitchener-Waterloo, we provide families with a child being treated in hospital the opportunity to stay close when they need it most.
RMH®SCO also operates Ronald McDonald Family Rooms® and Ronald McDonald Care Carts® in hospitals across South Central Ontario. The family rooms serve as places of respite where families can grab a coffee or a bite to eat or relax and experience a sense of normalcy without having to leave the hospital. The mobile hospitality carts are pushed through the wards, bringing refreshments, snacks, and toiletries to families who can't leave their child's bedside.
Ronald McDonald House® South Central Ontario Charitable Registration #13277 9836 RR0001
Our Services
Dedicated to our Mission
Our Mission is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare at nearby hospitals.
RMH®SCO is independently owned and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, managed by a small staff team and supported by a full complement of dedicated volunteers.
Together, with the support of our Founding partner, McDonald's Restaurants, and our generous partners and donors, we strive to create a world where every family has what they need to ensure the best health outcomes for their children. Whether at our House, in our Family Rooms, or through our Care Carts, we care for families with children who are ill or injured, providing a home away from home when they need it most.
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At RMH®SCO, we believe that family is medicine. Every day, we are committed to easing the burdens faced by families with sick children, providing them with a supportive community, a place of comfort, and, most importantly, the opportunity to stay close during their most challenging times.
Our Impact
All of the money we raise goes directly towards providing a home away from home for families of sick or injured children being treated in nearby Hospitals.
775
Families who stay at our House each year
164120
Visits at our Ronald McDonald Family Rooms each year
106
Communities we serve across South Central Ontario
62252
Meals served at our House each year
14404
Nights of Comfort at our House each year
14000
Volunteer hours
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Our Funding Story
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Canada in 1981. In 1982, Ronald McDonald House® Canada was created by McDonald’s ensuring that every future House would have a foundation of support. Since then McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada have been committed partners in helping sick children and their families.
Approximately 30 per cent of annual operating costs come from our Founder and Forever partner, McDonald's Restaurants through initiatives likes the Happy Meal Program, McHappy Day, RMH cookie sales, and coin boxes.
The remaining 70 per cent of the annual budget is raised through fundraising activities, individual donors, and the contribution of our generous national & corporate partners. We do not receive any government funding.