As you may know, here at Ronald McDonald House New York, we never miss a good old fashioned holiday celebration and this Thanksgiving was no different than any other. We put on our coats to brave the cold at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and we brought out our finest serving dishes and flatware for one heck of a Thanksgiving Dinner.
Our incredible partners at Bloomberg provided a lavish Thanksgiving dinner with attached apple pie a la mode bar to boot. They even took time out of their family Thanksgiving celebrations to come to the House and volunteer to serve our families their Thanksgiving dinner.
Our partners at the NYPD were instrumental in getting our families front row seats to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the balloon inflation the night before.
We know that its hard on our families to not be able to travel to see their loved ones this holiday. That's why Ronald McDonald House New York works hard to give every member of every family staying in the House 101 reasons to be thankful to be right here where they are.
Check out these amazing photographs that tell the story of RMH-NY's Thanksgiving Holiday 2023!
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation
Wednesday Afternoon
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade star balloons that lead the parade.
Thank you, NYPD!
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons are huge.
Various families currently staying at RMH-NY came out to enjoy the festivities.
Even the big man himself made an appearance.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Thursday (Thanksgiving Day Morning)
Ronald McDonald made another appearance the next morning in the parade.
Thanksgiving Day
Dinnertime
A dinner setting for our Thanksgiving feast sponsored by BLOOMBERG.
So many volunteered their time on Thanksgiving Day to make it special for our families.
The Turkey was amazing.
Introducing Bloomberg Bingo: The Thanksgiving Edition
So many families enjoyed all of the wonderful food prepared by volunteers from Bloomberg!
At the end of the day, the families had a chance to say what they were thankful for this year and each wrote it on a turkey feather.
Caitlin Conklin, Director of Volunteers and Communications for Ronald McDonald House New York led the Thanksgiving efforts this year at the House. Her thoughts on Thanksgiving at RMH-NY in 2023:
Thanksgiving is an incredible time of the year at the House where we have so many of our community partners, volunteers, and corporate groups come together to kick-off the holiday season for our families. The energy in the House is so infectious starting the night before Thanksgiving with the balloon inflation trip. Watching the kids eyes as they load into NYPD vehicles is the highlight and little do they know it just gets better from there with one incredible memory making moment to the next. It truly is my favorite day of the year just watching all of the families celebrate with one another and have a few moments at least of just being together and laughing and being catered to.
By Thanksgiving night, the House was quiet as a mouse. Families had devoured the Turkey top to bottom and ate all the apple, pumpkin, and pecan pie they could hold. It was time to settle in for a nice, long holiday nap to save energy for what's to come.
Up next for the holiday House happenings:31 Days of Cheer!
We are gearing up for a big December at Ronald McDonald House New York! Here we come, December holidays!
