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McDonalds introduces “Round Up” program to support Ronald McDonald Houses
McDonalds introduces “Round Up” program to support Ronald McDonald Houses
In a sign of our cashless times, McDonald’s has introduced a system that allows fast-food customers to make a contribution to Ronald McDonald House Charities with their credit cards by rounding up their food bills.
Similar to grocery store campaigns that support Foodlink by asking shoppers to round up to an even dollar amount and perhaps add a few bucks while they’re at it, the McDonald’s system will encourage diners to do the same for the McDonald’s charity. It’s called “Round Up for RMHC.”
The money supports the Ronald McDonald House network around the country, including one in Rochester near Golisano Children’s Hospital. These facilities provide families with ill or hospitalized children a place to stay while their children receive care. They get a private bedroom, laundry facilities, home-cooked meals and more.
McDonald’s customers have supported these houses for decades with paper money and coins dropped in collection boxes at the drive-thru windows and counter stations in McDonald’s restaurants. Customers continue to donate that way, the company noted, but donations have declined because fewer people are carrying and paying with cash these days.
The new McDonald’s donation system is available in approximately 14,000 restaurants nationally. It allows people who are paying with a debit or credit card–either with the help of a counter person or through ordering screens in the restaurant–to add a little extra for the charity without having to search for cash.
To help customers understand how significant even small donations can be, McDonalds has created the “Menu of Moments” indicating how donations of even less than $1 can provide precious minutes for a family to spend together during a child’s illness. Eighty dollars covers the cost of a family staying overnight in a Ronald McDonald House. For 92 cents, a donor can provide a family with time to read a bed-time story to their sick child. Even as little as 21 cents provides five minutes of family time.
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