Ronald McDonald House Charities Of Western Washington & Alaska

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska supports seriously ill children and their families. It's something we see every day – children healing while they're surrounded by family. At the Ronald McDonald House, we may not be able to make the medicine taste better or erase the pain of a much-needed treatment, but we can offer families a place to rest and refresh during a difficult time in a place that feels like home.

Our House started in 1983 with just 20 rooms. Since then, we have grown to provide over 28,000 nights of housing to nearly 500 families per year. We typically operate at 97% capacity year-round. In 2003, we built two new facilities, including a self-contained apartment unit for bone marrow transplant patients. The renovation quadrupled the House’s capacity, so we can serve up to 80 families per night. While the majority of our patients come from Western Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, we serve any family whose child is receiving treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital, including out of state and international patients.

When a child is seriously ill, families’ lives are turned upside down. Life is put on hold; soccer games and ballet lessons take a back seat. Nothing is more important than healing the sick child. Many families travel hundreds of miles, and spend weeks or months getting treatment – a long time to be away from home. The Ronald McDonald House in Seattle is a “home-away-from-home” for families while their child undergoes treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital. The House is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. In addition to providing housing, we also offer a stocked common pantry, meals through our volunteer dinner groups, activities and outings for kids, daily visits from certified therapy dogs, and many other services for our families. The House is so much more than a place to stay; it is a community.