Corporate kindness helps keep Ronald McDonald House open
WITH corporate Ireland on lockdown, charities and community organisations have taken a huge fundraising hit. The volunteer CEO of Ronald McDonald House, Marian Carroll, whose organisation provides accommodation for the families of sick children in Crumlin Hospital, told Ergo that the impact of Covid-19 on regular corporate fundraising activities could have serious repercussions for both charities and the wider society.
Ronald McDonald House has seen fundraising fall to half of normal levels. Plans by McDonald’s to reopen some drive-thru services will give it hope for the full return of the fast-food chain’s service given that in-store collection boxes provide the children’s charity with a revenue stream of as much as €20,000 a month. The house costs €500,000 a year to run and it also relies in normal times on volunteer staff from a roll-call of Irish companies who come to cook dinner for the families each day.
“We’re not the only charity for which this is an issue and the challenge for all of us at the moment is that fundraising has come to a crashing halt,” Carroll told Ergo. “Our housekeepers are still minding our poor mums and dads that are staying with us, because in spite of all that is going on there are still very sick children in Crumlin Hospital that need to be looked after, and that is what we do.”
Carroll said running the service currently was possible because companies such as
Artisan Foods, Compass Group, Permanent TSB and Avolon continue to provide support and practical help, not to mention badly needed coffee for the families from Nespresso.