We are 100% funded by LOCAL donations, so we depend on supporters like you in order to serve seriously ill children and their families. There are several ways for you to help:
Aluminum Pull Tabs
Save those pull tabs from your aluminum cans. Drop off your collections to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio or your local McDonald’s restaurant. We’ll recycle them and use the funds to stock the kitchen pantry for our guests.
Over 600 families stay at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio yearly while their children receive medical care in Toledo. Thanks to our friends in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, RMHC collects pull tabs from schools, churches, libraries, factories, hospitals, service organizations, and local communities! We can offset over half of our annual food budget with the money earned by recycling the tabs.
Tabs from cat and dog food cans and beverage containers are all recyclable aluminum for the House. We pay nothing to recycle the tabs, thanks to our local OmniSource recycling facility. They provide the container, pick it up, and return it to us for free when it’s full!
Why do we recycle only the tab instead of the whole can? The tab of an aluminum can is the pure aluminum, unlike the rest of the can, which contains paint and other residues. Tabs are convenient storage and transport, take up less space than cans, and aren’t as messy.
For information on how your school can compete in the Annual Pull Tab Collection contest, please get in touch with our Development Coordinator at 419-471-4663 ext. 6107.
Auto Auction
Have a vehicle you want to get rid of? Let us do the work! Click on the link above to donate your vehicle today. We pick up any vehicle in any condition, fill out all the paperwork, and provide you with a receipt for your taxes! The proceeds from auctioning the car come to RMHC.
The Founders Society
In keeping with the three community leaders whose vision and commitment built Northwest Ohio’s original Ronald McDonald House in 1982, Founders Society members provide a solid foundation for our organization. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio exists today thanks to the tireless efforts of Don Michel, Gary Yunker, and Dr. Pierre Vauthy, M.D. The Founders Society is named in tribute to their dedication to making our House a reality.
We are pleased to honor those whose generosity supports the ongoing mission of RMHC of NW Ohio. Donors making gifts of $1,000 or more annually (January 1 through December 31) are recognized as members of the Founders Society. Members receive acknowledgment in our newsletters and annual reports, at special recognition events, and on our website.
Membership in the Founders Society makes you an active partner in supporting the hundreds of families who turn to Ronald McDonald House each year for help dealing with the challenges of caring for a sick child away from home.
Member – donations from $1,000 – $2,499 are considered Members of the Founders Society and will receive an invitation annually to a dinner and be recognized in our annual report.
Champions – donations of $2,500 or more are considered Champions of the House and will receive an invitation to an exclusive beer, wine, and food pairing dinner and be recognized in our annual report.
To get your start towards becoming a member of this distinguished group of donors, click here to donate. For more information, contact the Development Director at 419-471-4663 ext. 6019.
Kids Helping Kids
Are you looking for ways for children to get involved with supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio? We have ideas for you with our “Kids Helping Kids” program.
- Aluminum Pull Tabs – Participate in our tab collection contest between schools. Aluminum pull tabs offset the cost of our pantry every year.
- Book Drive – Families staying at our House LOVE new books. Host a book drive with your classmates and send new books to families at our House.
- Happy Meals – Purchase a Happy Meal at your local McDonald’s. A portion of each Happy Meal sold benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities.
- Lemonade Stand – Host a lemonade stand in the spring or summer!
- Seasonal Neighborhood Volunteering – Stay active in the fall or winter by raking leaves or shoveling snow. Your children and your neighbors will feel inspirational knowing that the donation will support families at RMHC.
- Snack Drive – What are your kid’s favorite snacks? Chances are, families staying at our House love those snacks too!
For more information on how to get involved in any of the ways listed above, please email info@rmhctoledo.org.
Make Meals
Individuals and/or groups are welcome to participate in the Dinner on the House program. Dinner on the House includes all areas of the Kitchen. You may choose to cook a meal or bake desserts for the families. All meals and baking must be done on the premises. This program does not have to be an evening meal only, and one of the most popular meals enjoyed by our families is breakfast. The meals prepared for our families provide a comfort that cannot be matched by a hospital cafeteria.
To sign up for meal preparation, click the button below or contact Wendy Bejaige, Director of Operations, at 419-471-4663, ext. 6113 or via email at wendy@rmhctoledo.org
Monetary Gifts
Assist the house by providing a monetary donation. Click HERE to donate.
- Monthly – Become a monthly donor at the level most comfortable to you providing a predicable monthly stream of income for the House.
- $150 – Families are never charged for their stay, when asked, the staff suggests $10/day. Our average stay is 15.5 days.
- $2,400 – Actual cost per day for a family to stay at RMHC approximates $157. With an average stay of 15.5 days this donation of would assist RMHC in covering the cost.
Naming Opportunities in the Ronald McDonald House
Buy a Brick : Support the Ronald McDonald House
In 2015, we moved in to the newly constructed Ronald McDonald House that offers an expanded “home away from home” for families with hospitalized children. Our increased number of guest rooms help us to serve more guests in a completely accessible, comfortable, and h
ome-like atmosphere.
You can be a permanent part of this new House by purchasing a commemorative brick paver for our outside entryways. Engraved with your name, message, or company logo, your personal brick becomes a timeless way to honor a loved one’s memory, celebrate a special occasion, or proclaim your support for families in need. Best of all, you’ll help offset costs for operating our new House.
Better happens when communities work together to help others. Join other community supporters to help keep families close at the Ronald McDonald House with this permanent display.
Brick Selection
$100 – 3 lines of copy, 14 characters max each line, inc. spaces
$250 – 4 lines of copy, 14 characters max each line, inc. spaces
$500 – Large brick with company logo
Planned Gifts
While planned gifts can take many shapes and sizes, the simplest way to participate is to include Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio in your estate plans. You can also name us as a beneficiary on:
- A life insurance policy
- An annuity
- An IRA
- A workplace retirement plan
We have created The Shamrock Society to recognize those special donors, volunteers, and supporters who have made plans for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio in their estate plans – to encourage others to do the same. There is no minimum commitment to join The Shamrock Society and a cash gift is not required. For more information, contact Michelle Kravetsky at michelle@rmhctoledo.org
Learn how to utilize the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) with your planned giving by clicking the video below.
Securities and Real Estate
Gifts of securities, including stocks and bonds, are a popular method of giving. When stock is transferred directly to RMHC of Northwest Ohio, you do not have to pay capital gains tax.
Donation Of Securities Form or Email michelle@rmhctoledo.org for more information.
Volunteer
If you would like to share your love and talents in support of the Ronald McDonald House mission, we have many opportunities for you. Whether staffing the front desk, making a meal for the families, repairing a vacuum, or driving a snack cart at the annual golf outing, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio can use your help. Please download a Volunteer Application and a Background Check Form in PDF format, or learn more about the many ways you can help from the list below. Please get in touch with Wendy Bejaige, Director of Operations, at 419-471-4663 ext. 6113 if you have questions or wish to volunteer and help the families.
Duties and Responsibilities
While we expect only some volunteers to be comfortable doing all the available assignments, we want you to know what tasks are acceptable for volunteers. Below is a list of daily chores that are performed at the House. It is common for volunteers to choose 2 or 3 things that they enjoy and make them their tasks to act when they are at the House. Once you’ve selected your favorites, we’ll depend on you to perform these tasks.
House Ambassador
- Daily Chores
- Take care of Pull Tabs
- Check coffee. Make more if needed
- Wipe appliances in the kitchen
- Clean hanging lights in the kitchen
- Dust mop kitchen floors
- Clean all kitchen countertops
- Empty dishwasher
- Wash place mats, wipe and dry tables
- Wash windows
- Check supply closets on both floors and restock
- Sweep the gazebo, empty the trash
- Check the linen closet on both floors and restock
- Clean laundry rooms
- Check and straighten the playroom
- Dust common areas
- Bring paper supplies up from the supply room
- Sweep the front entrance
- Straighten living room and lobby, dispose of old newspapers and magazines
- Water flowers outside in summer
- Empty trash
- Fold laundry
- Assist the manager on duty with getting a guest room ready for the next occupant
- Assist with laundry of bathmats and kitchen towels
Lobby Ambassador
- Answer phones
- Help with office work as needed
- Give tours of the House when requested
- Arrange transportation for guests to and from all area hospitals
Dinner on the House
Individuals and groups are welcome to participate in the Dinner on the House program. Dinner on the House includes all areas of the Kitchen. You may choose to cook a meal or bake desserts for the families. All meals and baking must be done on the premises. This program does not have to be an evening meal only, and one of the most popular meals enjoyed by our families is breakfast. The meals prepared for our families provide a comfort that a hospital cafeteria cannot match.
Task Specific Duties
- Several jobs at the House are done randomly and as needed. Volunteers are used for these assignments based on their interests and physical capabilities.
- Inventory of pantry and storage areas
- Organizing storage areas
- Yard work (pulling weeds and planting)
- Moving furniture
- Decorating for Holidays
- Painting
- Sanitizing public areas
Wish List Items & In-Kind Gifts
Wish list drives are a great way to get family, friends, coworkers, and communities involved! Due to the immune-compromised situation of our guest children, we can only take new and unopened items. Thank you for understanding.
Our Amazon wish list is always up-to-date with the items we need most, including snacks, toys, toiletry, craft, and household items. You can order items to send directly to our House from Amazon or use this list as a resource when collecting items to deliver to our House.
In addition to the items below, we need snacks options that are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, etc. We have added some to our Amazon list but are grateful for snacks that fit these categories. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of our guest families!
Please get in touch with the Ronald McDonald House Manager at 419-471-4663 if you have any questions.
- Bleach sprays
- Carpet Fresh
- Disinfecting sprays
- Febreze spray
- Floor cleaner/wax
- Foil
- Hand soap
- Laundry detergent
- Lysol wipes
- Multipurpose sprays
- Saran wrap
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- To-go containers
- Water bottles
- Ziploc bags