I'm not much into McDonalds. Maybe the occasional egg white McMuffin on my way to an early tee-time. But McDonalds beats In n Out hands down when it comes to caring for sick children and their families. My Lion's Club chapter had the honor of cooking for 50 people here this week and I am the one who feels the benefit. Without going into the full history of this place, the brief story is that McDonalds donates a small hotel-like building walking distance from different children's hospitals. This one is next to Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC). The donated structure is run like a no-charge hotel, with volunteers and a few staff members, for families to stay while their child is at CHOC. Families must submit an application, have financial need and, pending space (maybe a dozen rooms) can stay here up to a month before requesting an extension. Breakfast and dinner is cooked each day for families. The food and labor is provided by volunteer groups. Groups of friends, businesses, restaurants, service organizations, etc. sign up about three months in advance. The menus are pre-approved, the food must all be cooked on site, and volunteers must all be in good health. They provide a fully stocked kitchen and some permanent volunteers are on hand to provide guidance. We were able to sit and dine with the guests and hear their stories of heartbreak, perseverance and strength. Think about the triple whammy that these folks go through. First, their child is sick enough to need a specialized children's hospital. Next, it is far enough away from home that you need a hotel for the family. Lastly, you don't have the financial resources for both the medical care and housing. This place fills that need. The Ronald McDonald House is a God-send and McDonalds should be applauded for providing this type of low-key and vital assistance to the public. No Happy Meals are served here. No golden arches out front. No McDonald's advertisements, clowns or commercials blaring inside. Just good people caring for their kids and good people assisting the families. Very humbling. read more

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I have been blessed with my life to live this long and share the journey through Yelp and my work. Life does surprising things and I hope for the better. Unfortunately, life tends to do a 180 and the best thing we can do is to help our fellow neighbors. I work for a very large company and they are constantly doing their best to help our fellow man. My company teamed up with a special company, but not because they have the Golden Arches or they make Hamburgers, but the foundation that we see, but ignore. Our Team is headed over to the Orange County Ronald McDonald House in the city of Orange. Located about two blocks north of W. La Veta Ave. on the east side of Batavia St., you will find the three story tall and world famous charity, Ronald McDonald House. While the name is associated with the Golden Arches, this is a separate entity and does not promote fast food and is not fully funded besides from the contributions of the local neighborhood. My employer is a large organization and they decided to spend some time helping families and their children that are going medical procedure at the local Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). A few minutes or hours of our volunteer time are helpful to the families in need. Families can stay at the Ronald McDonald House with approved forms from their Physician for only $10 a day. The $10 covers the room, food, laundry, and many other activities. This place is essentially another home away from home. Some families are not fortunate to drive many miles away to leave their littles ones behind thus requesting the assistance of the Ronald McDonald House. This home is amazing. It is three floors of amenities for families just looking for a short place to stay. If I am not mistaken, there are 20 rooms for families to stay. There is a large kitchen for volunteers like my organization to prepare and cook meals for the day. Also, there are game/activity rooms for families to help ease some of the mindsets/emotions that they are going through. Heaven forbid you and/or your child has to go through this. Our organization signed up to prepare breakfast. The Ronald McDonald House has all the tools (i.e. knives, plates, utensils), but all we have to do is bring the ingredients and cook. We had the task of making breakfast burritos, eggs, waffles, sandwiches, and many other delicious. Food is what makes the journey memorable. Volunteering is a human characteristic that we all have done in one form or another. The greatest part of the whole experience wasn't just cooking, preparing, cleaning: It was the smiles and gratitude from the families who just wanted a hot meal. I used to go to the Golden Arches and see a Ronald McDonald House Donation Box at the window. After talking with the staff member, donations are low and are usually high during the Holiday Season. While we may see the Golden Arches being a name on the house, most of the staff are volunteering out of the kindness of their hearts and their wallets. There are many donors across many doors and hallways. Donors are the reason why the Ronald McDonald House continues to thrive. Everyday many families come through this house looking for a haven and as we may feel helpless, we have done the best we can to make their day better and better by passing it forward. This Yelp Voyage is my novel. I write to share the experience and for you to interpret it. My guidance is through you. It is BECAUSE of you that I want to recreate the same experience. The end result is success because you made me share my story. Yelp your story every day! read more

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We stayed here during thanksgiving,Christmas,new years and valentines days my son was born at 25 weeks he had a gtube placed trach and Oxgen and they made the holidays amazing this please is a blessing for reals read more

My 500th review...just had to make it something special! This Ronald McDonald House is indeed a special place. Located on a residential street in Orange, very close to CHOC Hospital is a house that is dedicated to supporting the families of sick children. It is part of a larger So Cal chapter that looks after this house plus 5 more, operates 2 rooms in the CHOC hospitals of Orange & Mission (imagine a mini version of this respit inside the hospitals) and they also operate a camp for kids with cancer/their families. The goal of each place is still the same: Help children being treated at a local hospital where they don't live, keep their family together and provide the care/support that they need in a truly trying time. The OC Ronald McDonald house itself is a beautifully appointed 20 bedroom house, with a large living room, a huge kitchen (fully stocked for the families), an eating area, a lovely backyard and a couple other rooms where families can relax like a TV room with computers and a sitting room. After a long day at the hospital, families can take a hot shower, eat something that isn't from the hospital cafeteria and get a good night sleep so they can go back to the hospital all again the next day. I LOVE what this house is doing for families and we started volunteering here last week. The house has a very slim permanent staff, so in order to have it run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they need tons of help! If you are interested in volunteering, here is the link: http://rmhcsc.org/orangecounty/page/become-a-volunteer If you can't commit to volunteering consistently there are so many other ways to get involved. You can book a day to come cook for the families, or even just donate off their wishlist to keep the house going: http://rmhcsc.org/orangecounty/wishlist Yelp 100 challenge: 53/100 read more

My coworkers and I have been coming to the Ronald McDonald House in the City of Orange for the past 2 years. We take a half day from work and help put our efforts and resources to help the Orange County community. In this case, we volunteer at this away house to help with a variety of needs and chores. This home was built in 1989 to house families with kids who have serious illnesses and are being treated in nearby Orange County hospitals. This location is just 1 of over 300 Ronald McDonald Houses in over 50 countries. During my last visit, there were children and families coming as far as Australia and Africa. Sometimes, these families spend weeks, months, and sometimes over a year, so you can understand there's a lot you can do to help. During our last two visits, we donated a variety of supplies that families need during their stay. We also provided lunch for several of the families currently staying there. We all chipped in and purchased bread, sandwich meat, juice, fruit, cookies, chips, and salad. We prepared lunch and fed the families as they came back from their time at the hospital. We also put efforts into sorting toiletries and separating donated goods for expecting families arriving in the near future. Basically, it's a 2 story house with a number of rooms, almost like a small hotel. There's the main kitchen, large living room, sanctuary, office for the adults, game room for the children, and a newly renovated patio in the back yard. They do an awesome job of trying to give that comfortable feeling as everyone respects each other's privacy and quiet time. I cannot express how humbling an experience this is where I receive a reality check on how fortunate I am and how something so little as a few hours a day can really make a difference in someone's life. The Orange County chapter always appreciates your help or donation. If you feel the same way I do, check out the website and help improve someone's quality of life (http://www.ronaldhouseoc.org/index.php). YOUR HAPPY MEAL As you leave, take a picture with Ronald McDonald (located in the front of the house) like I did along with my buddy Mike. It's not as creepy as you think =) read more

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We've been here so much this feels like home. Our son, Manuia had to get a tracheostomy and a G-tube. The service here is the best. They are all so welcoming. So many other families have become family to us. We love it here. Thank you OCRMH for your hospitality and care as we are going through so much! You are so appreciated! read more

When our baby was sent to CHOC hours after being born, I was devastated because we live about an hour and a half away from the hospital. He was so small and the thought of being so far away killed me. And then we found out about the Ronald McDonald house around the corner from CHOC. My husband and I are very thankful to RMH for our stay while our baby was in the NICU. Grateful for the hospitality and care we received during our 2 week stay. The staff and volunteers do such a fantastic job everyday, this is a great organization and a cause truly worth giving to. Thank you for making it possible for families to stay together during difficult times. read more

My son was at OC CHOC for three weeks. My daughter and I stayed at Ronald McDonald House for part of that time. The staff was very accommodating and caring. Admin, Jason Lavelle (sorry if I misspelled), was very helpful, had a great attitude, and genuinely cares about everyone staying there. Various other charities come in and cook/serve 3 hot meals a day. Room was clean...Thank you again Ronald McDonald Charities, Fainbarg Family, Dr. C.D. Ball, and all the other generous donors for making an unpleasant situation a wonderful experience. read more

Lovely place. Nice people. Sweet service. Extra comfy beds. And all for families going through hard times together. Thank you for everything! read more

Excellent customer service! Keaton was so great with my kids! Thank you for helping us and making things easy during a stressful time!

The Ronald McDonald House is the home away from home. They take it a hop, skip and huge jump beyond baking a casserole and taking it to their neighbor's home. They provide shelter, comfort and transportation to terminally ill children and their families. This charity house is located a few blocks from St. Joseph Hospital. It is a 2-story house that includes several rooms with no televisions, a sanctuary room, recreational room and a kitchen. There is even a room full of treats and gifts for the kids who successfully get through surgery or finally get to go home. It's basically like Christmas exploded in there. I had the pleasure to volunteer here with my friend and her company, Golden State Foods. Golden State Foods are the suppliers of McDonalds foods. Our small group of 8 was in charge of providing, preparing and serving breakfast. The menu consisted of what else- delicious McDonald's breakfast! We cooked everything that people wait in line for at McDonalds before 11am - pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs and fruit. Ok, maybe not fruit. We arrived at 8am, served breakfast at 10am and started cleaning around 11:30am. And if you plan to volunteer one morning- the kitchen can comfortably fit 8-10 people. It isn't a hard task but it is a great experience. You meet really kind people - your team, the staff and the families. You also get a tour of the house to get a full understanding of their selfless mission. The service itself is not free. It is offered to the families at a very low cost. After all, it takes a lot of support (monetary and emotional) to bring smiles to the families' faces. read more

This house here is a gift from god the staff is amazing and everything they provide for you while you stay here is a blessing. Some people who stay here don't appreciate the privilege of being here and don't clean up after themselves but I appreciate everything thank you Ronald McDonald house! read more

Came here with some gals to help volunteer for breakfast. I truly think this is a great organization! :)

Who knew a place like this existed? They helped me and my husband in one of the toughest times of our lives. We will forever be grateful!

I love this place. They have been so good to my family. They give us everything they can to make our hospital stays easier. The staff is friendly and know just how to cheer you and your child up after a hard stay. The volunteers are irreplaceable and absolutely vital. They keep us all fed and the house running read more

this staff and location is truly amazing. helped out by making dinner for them with my wife and a couple others. no reason other than does there need to be one? get out help places like this who help the community and those in need. read more