Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska

Our goal is to help families focus on their child’s healing. We ensure families don’t have to worry about the basics like a place to stay, where to find their next meal, or where they can take a shower.

We provide housing for families who must be in Seattle or Anchorage for their child’s extended medical treatment. The Ronald McDonald House is a home-away-from-home for families while their children undergo treatment at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital or the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC). We make our House more than just a place to stay by providing essentials like prepared meals, stocked pantries and supplies as well as activities and special events to make our families’ lives a little brighter. We also welcome them into a supportive community while they face difficult times. 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 or the Alaska Native Medical Center, including out of state and international patients.

Between our faculties in Anchorage and Seattle, we can accommodate up to 114 families. In addition to providing housing, our faculties provide laundry machines, linens and towels, toiletries, paper products, and all other items that make a house a home. At both houses, we also offer meals though our volunteer dinner groups, activities and outings for kids, visits form certified therapy dogs and many other services.

Our Seattle Houses A and C have a total of 70 rooms in a warm, welcoming atmosphere that feels like home. We offer a pantry, filled with everything a family might need to make a simple meal or have a snack. We also offer 10 fully furnished, self-contained apartments for families of bone marrow transplant patients who require isolation and aren’t able to live in communal housing.

Each room in the ANMC House features its own bathroom, sleeper chair, and full sized bed. The House floor includes a fully equipped kitchen, cozy living room, library, interactive play area, and laundry. Ronald McDonald House residents also have access to the amenities of the ANMC housing building, including a workout space and cafeteria. The building is joined to the hospital via skybridge, making it easy for families to get the care they need.

The Houses relies extensively on volunteers. We have an average of 700 volunteers per year- last year recording more than 43,000 volunteer hours! It’s these people who allow us to provide all of the amazing programs that make our families lives so much easier and more enjoyable while they’re here.

Even with these volunteers Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington & Alaska requires over $40 million a year to operate. We are lucky to have some of this is provided by McDonald’s and an additional portion of this is provided through Medicare and Children’s Hospital. The remaining revenue is provided by our amazing network of donors, employee giving, and fundraising events.

Our Seattle house started in 1983 with just 20 rooms. 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.