Ronald McDonald House

So rewarding to volunteer here. Volunteers are always needed. You can come do a regular shift or just come in to make lunch or dinner.

What a lovely facility! 37 families can stay here, the rooms are spacious and well appointed. The common areas are lovely. The kitchen was just renovated and is spectacular.
I recently volunteered under the «Share a meal» program, where people from the community can come in and cook (or bring in from a commercial kitchen) lunch or dinner. On my stop I baked cookies for the holidays and brought in cupcakes donated from Gigi’s Cupcakes of Orlando.
I was welcomed by the staff and the families who I met, everyone was very nice. The kitchen has every type of pot, pan and utensil you need to make a meal. I’ll be signing up for a shift again in January.
Here is more info on the program and how to volunteer:

I can’t say enough things about the Ronald McDonald House Charity.
I’ve been volunteering since I was a little girl… it was something that was always important to my parents and it’s stayed with me all my life… but I can honestly say that I have found my «Forever Home», if you will. They have very few people on staff and are heavily reliant on volunteers, and so incredibly appreciative of their volunteers. I’ve never felt like I made such a difference to a single organization as I do now.
There are two houses in Orlando. One is near Florida Hospital and one by Arnold Palmer on Orange Avenue, where I volunteer.
The Charity is set up to have families and parents of hospitalized children stay near their sick kiddos. They ask for a donation of $ 15 a night. That’s all. $ 15!!! And if a family cannot afford it, they don’t have to pay. It’s amazing.
The Arnold Palmer house has about 35 rooms, a computer room, gorgeous living rooms, a monster kitchen and more.
Local restaurants and organizations come in nightly to cook dinner for everyone and once in a while they will have to cancel at the last minute… and then volunteers like me can fill in. :)
So far, I’ve helped at Bed Day. Tempurpedic donated all the beds to the Houses in the US and I made breakfast for lots of firefighters and police officers while they changed the beds out. I also helped at the Ice Cream Social and Golf Tourney… and I work the desk a couple of times a month at the Arnold Palmer House. I am currently trying to organize an edible garden planting at the houses. If you have any ideas, send them my way.
You don’t have a lot of interaction with the kids… it’s their parents and families you help. Many times it’s a quick hello… but sometimes they just want to be taken away from hospital speak for awhile… talk about Gossip Girl or gas prices… they just need a smile and a hug and cup of coffee.
Like I said, they are heavily reliant on volunteers so if you have an interest, please visit their site at
You can volunteer at special events or if you have a consistent time that you are able to give weekly or monthly you can volunteer at the houses. It’s a wonderful thing!