Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland welcomes the energy of families, youth groups, and adult groups!  You are a tremendous help in maintaining this large house and our gardens and in adding the touches that make it feel like home for so many who come to Cleveland for medical care for their children. 

The families who stay with us are under stress and away from home at a time when they need the comforts of home the most.  By preparing a meal for them, you are doing what their friends and neighbors would have done for them.  You are nourishing them and allowing them more time to focus on their families. 

Your act of true human kindness will remain in their memories for a long time.

To get involved, choose an activity from the suggestions below then contact our Volunteer Coordinator at (216) 229-5757.

Cleaning
A home for 37 families demands continuous clean up, which is easy if many join together to tackle the jobs. Come in to help clean out kitchen cupboards, disinfect toys, tidy up storage rooms, dust the bookshelves and more. Household chores can be fun when done in cooperation with friends in an environment that appreciates your visit!

Family Meal Preparation
Families who stay here are responsible for their own meal preparation. How nice it is, though, to be welcomed by a home-cooked meal after a long day at the hospital. We need people who will commit to planning and cooking a meal for 40 to 50 people and serve it here at the House. Your group can choose the date and the menu. Stay to enjoy the meal and visit! Make it an annual event for your group – or come more often!

McDonald’s Breakfast
We enjoy a monthly donation of McDonald’s breakfast foods, and we need volunteers who are willing to cook it for the families staying at the House. Come on a Saturday or Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. Make hotcakes, sausage, hash browns, eggs and cinnamon rolls, then stay and enjoy breakfast with the families. With kitchen clean up chores after the meal, you’ll plan to be at the House until about 11:00 a.m.

Bingo
Fill an evening with fun! Families love to play bingo together. We have the game and the prizes — we just need you to be callers and participants.

Craft / Cooking / Music Activities
Lead families in a simple craft activity, music, or cooking project — such as baking and decorating cookies. During the hours that families are not at the hospital, they welcome relaxing and fun diversions.

There are things you can do off-site that will benefit our families greatly, such as:

Share-a-Night Campaign
Although no family is turned away, families who stay at the House are asked to pay a modest fee of $20 per night. Bring your school or workplace together and see how many “good night’s sleep” your group can raise to help those families for whom even $20 is a hardship.

Canned Food Drive
It’s often difficult for families to get out to the grocery store, and having non-perishable foods on hand lets families enjoy a meal and have one less thing to worry about. All non-perishables are appreciated, and breakfast cereals are especially needed. Use your imagination to launch a food drive.

Pull Tab Collection
With pull tabs from aluminum cans, a little goes a long way! We collect pull tabs, and the money raised from recycling them is placed in the Family Fund, which helps the House do special things for the families who stay with us.

Goodie Bag Preparation
Decorate paper bags and fill them with small toys, snacks, gum, playing cards, notepaper, pens, stamps — whatever you think families might like to carry with them to the hospital.

Breakfast Bag Preparation
Families are often in a hurry to get to the hospital in the morning. How about making breakfast bags filled with muffins, breads, juice boxes, fruit … anything nutritious that can help families stay healthy for their children.

Shop From Our Wish List
In a house filled with 37 families, household supplies get used quickly. Consult our wish list for items we need on an ongoing basis, then be creative in involving your school, group or workplace in buying these much-needed supplies. View Wish List.