THUNDER BAY — Year-round, Ronald McDonald House provides a safe haven for families with children with serious medical issues.
To help cover the cost of funding 16 facilities across the country, McDonald’s restaurants from coast to coast on Wednesday are celebrating McHappy Day, donating 10 per cent of the proceeds from all sales to the cause.
With 65 per cent of Canadians living in communities without a children’s hospital, it’s an effort that has long-lasting impacts throughout the country, helping hundreds of families each year cope with an already stressful time.
Kaitie Jankovic, general manager at Thunder Bay’s Memorial Avenue McDonald’s location, said McHappy Day is a chance for everyone to come out and support a great initiative that benefits so many Canadians.
“Anything that you purchase today, whether it be the smallest item, like a doughnut or a coffee, any amount will help,” she said.
“You can also make any amount of a donation that you’d like. You can come down and donate $2, $5, $10, $100 — whatever’s in your budget today to help families be close to their loved ones at Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada.”
The first Ronald McDonald House in Canada opened in 1981 in Toronto, seven years after the first one in Philadelphia, inspired by a young girl named Kim Hill — whose father, Fred, was a tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles — who was battling leukemia at the time.
“It takes a lot of stress from the families, so they’re not worried about being far away from their loved ones who are in the hospital,” Jankovic said.
“It’s a fun day. We always have fun here working at McDonald’s, but today especially everyone is excited to make a difference here working.”
Donations from sales will continue through midnight.
