How much needs to be raised? We need to raise $30 million in total.
When will you break ground? The Groundbreaking ceremony is set for December 2, 2022.
How long will construction take? We anticipate construction on the new House to take 16-18 months.
How big will the House be? The House will be four stories tall, with 72 bedrooms.
What is the address of the new House? The new St. Louis City Ronald McDonald House is located at 4321 Chouteau Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110
What will happen to the two current city Houses (Park & West Pine)? Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis will move out of the two current city Houses. The aging buildings will be retired.
What will happen to the West County House? The West County House will remain fully functional once the new House is complete. We will then have two Ronald McDonald Houses in St. Louis, one in the city and the other in the county.
How do I sign up to be a volunteer at the new House? Further information will be provided regarding volunteer opportunities as the new Ronald McDonald House is built and opened.
Will I be able to cook a meal at the new House? The new Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis will include an industrial kitchen and a full-time chef on staff. Opportunities for the Meals from the Heart program will change. However, there will still be a need for support from volunteers.
Is there that great of a need? The need continues to grow. In 2019 (pre-pandemic) we were forced to turn away a family in need 3,044 times. As the pandemic-related restrictions have changed, our demand has rapidly returned over the past two years. We already have more requests for rooms than we can fulfill on some nights, and the numbers continue to grow. Additionally, not all of the bedrooms are open at the West Pine location because of the current setup with shared bathrooms.
How many more families will you be able to serve? The added capacity from the new House will allow us to serve approximately 450 additional families each year, 40% more than our current capacity.
Are your hospital partners supportive of this project? Yes, very supportive. All of our hospital partners were interviewed as we were considering this project. We revisited them in early 2021 to make sure that they believed that the need would return to the levels we saw prior to the pandemic. In fact, they believe that we may see a spike in need due to the backlog of elective procedures that were delayed due to the pandemic.
Can I give gifts of stock? Yes, in fact, gifts of appreciated stock are an excellent way to make a gift and reduce capital gains tax obligations. If you are asked to share more information, please reach out to Jason Huff.
Can I give through my donor-advised fund (DAF)? Yes, gifts through donor-advised funds are welcomed. There are some restrictions to making formal pledges through your DAF, however, you can still make a personal pledge and choose to fulfill your pledge payments through your DAF as you choose. If you are asked to share more information, please reach out to Jason Huff.
How will you afford to operate the new House? The new House will be less expensive to operate due to cost savings from energy efficiencies and a reduction in the costly repairs now required to maintain the current two city houses. We will also benefit from consolidating our resources, such as administrative and meeting space, from two locations into one.
Other questions? Please contact Jason Huff, Vice President of Development, at jhuff@rmhcstl.com.
