It wil raise money for an important cause
£1 from every qualifying main meal will be donated
McDonald’s UK is bringing McHappy Day to the UK this September, with a pledge to raise £1.5 million for Ronald McDonald House UK. The nationwide fundraising day will take place on Saturday, September 26, and give McDonald’s customers the opportunity to raise vital funds for families facing some of the hardest moments of their lives, just by purchasing a McDonald’s main menu meals.
On McHappy Day, £1 from every qualifying main meal will be donated directly from McDonald’s to Ronald McDonald House UK. This means whether it’s a Big Mac Meal or a McNuggets Meal, every order placed in restaurants or via home delivery – via the McDonald’s App, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and JustEat – will help fund Ronald McDonald House UK’s support for families with seriously ill children across the UK.
JustEat is supporting McHappy Day by offering customers free delivery on Saturday.
To celebrate McHappy Day, McDonald’s has launched a limited-edition drop of Grimace Beanies, which can be purchased for £5 at the Kiosks in restaurants or via the McDonald’s App for collection. All proceeds from the sale of the beanies will be donated to Ronald McDonald House UK. The Grimace Beanie is reversible, featuring the Grimace character on one side and an all-yellow side.
McDonald’s restaurants across the UK are embracing the day, organising a range of celebrations from celebrity guest appearances to family activities and fundraising.
Ronald McDonald House UK offers support for families with children in hospital by providing them free accommodation, within walking distance of their ward. The 14 Ronald McDonald Houses across the UK give families access to community and a place that they can call home, helping to alleviate the practical and financial pressures that come with hospital stays.
Lauren Schultz, CEO at McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: “McHappy Day is something millions of McDonald’s customers around the world have been part of for decades, and we’re incredibly proud to be bringing it to the UK for the first time this year. Ronald McDonald House UK provides truly extraordinary support, meaning that when a family’s world is turned upside down by a child’s illness, they can be right there by their child’s side at no cost to them as a family.
“Raising £1.5 million for Ronald McDonald House UK on the UK’s very first McHappy Day will help to fund those houses and give more families the chance to stay together during one of the hardest experiences imaginable. It’s only possible through the generosity of our customers, Franchisees and supply partners – every meal purchased on Saturday 26th September, every beanie bought, will help to make a genuine difference to families who need it most.”
Ella Joseph, CEO at Ronald McDonald House UK, said: “We’re so excited to be part of the very first UK McHappy Day. The families who stay with us are often facing the unimaginable – juggling a seriously ill child and the prospect of weeks or months away from home, while trying to hold everything together. The support McDonald’s, its customers and suppliers will provide to us through McHappy Day® means we can be there for those families, when they need us most.”
McDonald’s supply partners from across the UK will also play an important role in helping to reach the £1.5 million fundraising target. Through a range of donations linked to the sale of selected products on McHappy Day, including breakfast menu items, Tropicana products, McFlurry desserts, GLACÉAU smartwater and more, supply partners will help raise funds for Ronald McDonald House UK.
Ronald McDonald House UK has worked with McDonald’s, its founding and forever partner, for almost forty years. Last year, with the support of McDonald’s and its Franchisees, Ronald McDonald House UK accommodated 8,488 families, who stayed for an average of 16 nights, helping to save families from the financial and emotional burden of being away from their child.
Since the charity was established in the UK in 1989, McDonald’s and its Franchisees have raised over £140 million – vital funds that have supported the construction and running of 14 Ronald McDonald Houses across the UK which provide free accommodation and support to families whose children are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.
