Our Story
A family at a child's bedside isn't a luxury. It's medicine.
46 years of keeping families close.
“Forty-six years of this work, compressed into two minutes. Press play, then keep reading.”
How we began
In 1974, a Philadelphia Eagles tight end named Fred Hill was sitting in a hospital waiting room while his daughter Kim was being treated for leukemia. He noticed something: families sleeping in plastic chairs. Eating from vending machines. With nowhere else to go. Dr. Audrey Evans, an oncologist at the hospital, told him what those families really needed — a home away from home. That conversation sparked what would be the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia.
Four years later, a group of New York City McDonald’s owner-operators saw the same problem playing out on the Upper East Side. They joined forces with the Children’s Oncology Society of New York and, on November 7, 1979, opened a 24-room house on East 86th Street with Vivian Harris as our first President and CEO.
By 1992, we’d outgrown it. We rebuilt 84 rooms on East 73rd Street, just blocks from the city’s leading pediatric hospitals. In 2017, we expanded to 95 rooms — including six post-transplant suites for kids with little to no immune system.
Forty-six years in, we’re still here. Just blocks from the hospital. Still ready when the next family arrives.
Our mission
Ronald McDonald House New York provides families of children with cancer and other serious illnesses a strong, caring, and seamless circle of support — so they can focus on what matters most: their child's health.
"We make sure no family has to face their child's illness alone, and we don't charge them for it."
Ronald McDonald House Global Mission
At Ronald McDonald House, we provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare.
How we show up
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Complete support, not just shelter.
Three meals a day. Transportation to and from treatment. Family Support Services. Education for siblings and patients. A community of families who've been where you are. Proximity to the hospital is the start, not the finish — we remove every barrier between a parent and their child.
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We know your family by name.
Our staff doesn't manage cases. They learn your story, your child's name, your sibling's favorite cereal, the way your mom takes her coffee when she's been up since four. Forty-six years of doing this work has taught us that the family that feels seen is the family that heals.
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One circle. No gaps.
We coordinate with your hospital, your social worker, and the people in your life who are trying to help. You shouldn't have to re-tell your story every time someone new walks in. The circle of support shouldn't have a seam.
For us, it’s personal
The people who work at Ronald McDonald House aren't here by accident. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you the moment they knew this was where they were supposed to be.
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Odain, Family Room Manager
"I know the importance of being present for a loved one, especially in difficult times. My time at Ronald McDonald House New York has given me a greater appreciation of everyone around me, everyone I love. I don’t take one minute for granted now."
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Angelica, Wellness Manager
"We create pockets of air when caregivers feel like they are drowning."
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Hannah, Social Worker Manager
"One Friday a few caregivers were sharing g-tube stories. They were laughing about all the funny mishaps they have experienced. It’s not that g- tubes are hilarious, but these caregivers have been given a space to talk about everything, good and bad, with people who understand and also speak the language of hospitals."
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Our relationship with McDonald’s
Ronald McDonald House New York is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit — not a McDonald's company. We're one of more than 390 Ronald McDonald House Chapters operating in 60+ countries, each independently run, each funded by its own community. McDonald's has been our founding mission partner since 1979. The company supports our work through corporate giving, the Round-Up program at registers, donation boxes in restaurants, and decades of volunteerism from local owner-operators. We're grateful for all of it. But the families served at our House — and the majority of dollars that house them — come from New York. From individual donors, from corporate partners, from estates, from gala tickets, from kids running lemonade stands. From you, if you're reading this.
Learn more
Our most recent year, in numbers
Families served, meals provided, rides to treatment, dollars raised, and what every dollar did. A full accounting of fiscal year 2024.
2024 Annual reportAudits, 990s, transparency
The full financial record going back five years. Charity Navigator, Candid, and IRS filings included.
View financialsThe people running the House
Our executive leadership and the board members who guide our strategy and stewardship.
Meet the teamIn the news
Coverage of our families, our partners, and the work happening on East 73rd street.
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