How Ronald McDonald House Chapters Fill Their Wish Lists

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) runs houses near hospitals where families can stay, for free or close to it, while a child is in treatment. Each house is its own local chapter with its own wish list, and every one of those chapters hosts, in the national organization's own words, "thousands of families each year."

What a Ronald McDonald House wish list actually asks for

RMHC's national Fulfill a Wish page frames it simply: "choose a chapter and help them fill their list of needed items." The categories that come up across chapters, including sites like RMHC Central Ohio, RMHC Kansas City, and RMHC Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana, are consistent:

• Toys and recreation: board games, puzzles, stuffed animals, age-appropriate books, video games
• Food: canned goods, non-perishables
• Household supplies: paper towels, trash bags, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies
• Personal care: toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, dental floss None of it is medical. A house isn't a hospital ward, it's where a family sleeps, eats, and tries to hold some normal routine together while their child is treated nearby. The wish list reflects that: ordinary household and family-life items that keep a house running for whoever's staying there that week.

Why "thousands of families a year, per house" changes the math

A single house turns over constantly. Families check in and out as treatment schedules change, so a wish list isn't a one-time setup, it's an ongoing, rolling need. A box of board games donated in January gets used up and needs replacing by spring, not because anything went wrong, but because that's what steady, year-round occupancy looks like.

That ongoing nature is also why a house benefits from supporters who aren't nearby. A hospital-adjacent house draws families from well outside its own city, sometimes from several states away, but its donor base has traditionally been local, people who can physically drop off a case of paper towels. A wish list that works online removes that geography limit on the giving side the same way the house itself removes it on the receiving side.

Where an item-specific platform fits

Givelink lets a chapter post its current wish list online, by item, so a donor anywhere can fund something specific, say, a box of size-4 dish soap or a stack of board games, and have it ship directly to the house with a photo confirming it arrived. The donor sees exactly what they funded instead of sending cash into a general fund, and the house gets the specific thing it's actually short on that week.

Frequently asked questions

Does every Ronald McDonald House chapter have its own wish list? Each chapter sets and manages its own list independently, since item needs vary by house size, local donor base, and how many families are currently staying there. There's no single national list that applies to every house.

What items are chapters most consistently low on? Household basics that get used up quickly, paper towels, laundry detergent, dish soap, and personal care items like toothpaste and shampoo, tend to need regular restocking because they're consumed by whichever families are staying at the house that month, regardless of season.

Can someone who doesn't live near a Ronald McDonald House still donate items to it? Yes, through the chapter's own wish list rather than dropping items off in person. Several chapters use online wish list tools specifically so donors outside the immediate area can still fund a needed item and have it shipped.

Are RMHC wish list items tax-deductible? Item donations to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which RMHC chapters generally are, are typically tax-deductible at fair market value. A donor should keep a receipt or confirmation from the chapter and check with a tax professional for their specific situation, since deduction rules can vary by donation size and type.

Where to start

Browse nonprofits already running item-specific wish lists in the Givelink charity directory. If you help run a Ronald McDonald House chapter and want your wish list open to donors beyond your local area, set up a profile.