Utah McDonald's® are celebrating the 10th Annual "Give A Hand" fundraiser to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)® - the company's "Charity of Choice" for 38 years.
Through November 20, residents are invited to visit a participating McDonald's restaurant to show their support for local families in need by purchasing a paper "Give A Hand."
This year, customers can donate to the Charity in denominations of $1, $3, or $5, with all proceeds from the "Give A Hand" fundraiser going to support RMHC.
Last year, the campaign raised $35,813 for the local chapter, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area. This helped the House provide a home away from home for nearly 1,600 families
This summer, RMHC of the Intermountain Area announced an $11 million expansion and renovation project to accommodate the changing needs of families seeking specialized pediatric care for their child.
Last year the Ronald McDonald House in Salt Lake City served 1,574 families. Even with that impressive figure, it still had to turn away 522 families due to lack of space. The charity has raised all but $2 million of the funds to build the expanded campus.
RMHC of the Intermountain Area is also building out a new Ronald McDonald Family Room® within Primary Children's Medical Center in partnership with Intermountain Healthcare. The new Ronald McDonald Family Room will provide a welcoming and home-like respite space for patient families at Primary Children's. The new Family Room will also allow the charity to meet its mission with local Salt Lake County families who do not stay at our Houses as well as families from rural areas and surrounding states.
In addition to the in-restaurant fundraising program, customers can also show their support for RMHC by participating in the "Give A Hand" online sweepstakes. Customers are invited to write messages of support for RMHC on their hand, take a picture, and submit it online via @McDonalds Twitter page for the chance to help RMHC and win prizes. Each day throughout the campaign, one winner will be selected at random to receive a $50 Arch Card for themselves and a $500 donation for their local RMHC Chapter.
McDonald's commitment to RMHC and local charitable programs in Salt Lake City extends beyond the annual "Give A Hand" fundraiser. As part of the company's ongoing support of the Charity, McDonald's donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Happy Meal® and Mighty Kids Meal® purchased in participating U.S. restaurants every day. In addition, the local "Fries for Families" campaign, where a penny from every pound of French Fries the local restaurants purchase is donated to RMHC of the Intermountain Area, has generated over $100,000 in 2012 for the capital campaign.
