OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

The Ronald McDonald House is entirely supported by the community. In addition to monetary support, the House needs everything your house needs: food, linens, cleaning products, etc. There are many ways, large and small, that you can help Knoxville’s Ronald McDonald House. The staff has compiled a few of those:

  1. Make the House a recipient of your fundraising efforts. Call us for guidelines or details.
  2. To honor a loved one on a birthday or special occasion, remember the House by making a donation in their name. We can send them a lovely card acknowledging your gift. We do the same with a memorial gift.
  3. Remember the House when you are doing your estate planning.
  4. Form a cookie brigade. Our families love to nibble. Dropping by cookies, cakes, or any sweets is always so appreciated.
  5. Get a group together to help with our yard, such as mowing, raking, weeding, etc. We’d love to even have seasonal flowers planted. Do you have a green thumb?
  6. Decorate the House. Everyone loves a festive touch. Make a “green” cake for St. Patrick’s Day, or put up pastel streamers and balloons for Easter.
  7. Help with a meal. Some groups drop off pre-cooked foods for the families. Other enjoy cooking in our beautifully equipped kitchen and having a chance to chat with our families. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be a big pot of soup, chili, etc. We typically plan on serving twenty-five to thirty. It can be breakfast, lunch or dinner, seven days a week.
  8. Are you creative? Could you make little gifts or supply them, so that we could give to people for Christmas or birthdays?
  9. We’re so proud of our House and love the chance to show it off. Schedule your group for a personally guided tour.
  10. Have friends and family collect personal hygiene items from their travels, or those sample sized from the store (shampoo, deodorant, razors, and toothpaste are always requested by our families).
  11. Have a food drive. All of our food is donated. We have freezer space and three refrigerators. Yes, we need canned food, but we need perishable food as well. (Just see our detailed Wish List)
  12. Have a linen drive. We need twin and queen sheets, towels, wash clothes, pillows, blankets and such.  We prefer white ones so they can be bleached.
  13. Have a household products “shower” for us. Several organizations have asked members to bring everything from laundry detergents to light bulbs, and ask that the items be gift wrapped. They come to the House with goodies and we have “Christmas” year round.
  14. We need everything that your house needs TIMES FIFTEEN. Put out a box at school, church, or your business to collect items.
  15. Get several folks together for a cleaning session at the House. Anything from vacuuming to dusting. With 17,000 square feet to clean, this is an ongoing need! (no scrubbing toilets, but do you do windows?) We need cleaning supplies too.
  16. Sometimes groups want to sponsor a current need we might have; for example, we may need a new mattress or dryer. The manager would know of an immediate House need. Give us a call.
  17. Do you have a payroll deduction at work? Many people remember us through CFC and the like or a matching gifts program?.
  18. We love to receive gift certificates to area grocery stores and discount stores so that we can purchase needed items.
  19. We do have a regular, ongoing Volunteer Program for folks 16 years and all the way up. If you’re interested, please see our Volunteer Opportunities or fill out a Volunteer Application.