MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Ronald McDonald House, located in Morgantown, will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 9th at 10 a.m. to celebrate both its 35th anniversary and recent major renovations and expansions they have made to the house.
In addition, the Ronald McDonald House will also be hosting an open house and offering tours from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that same day.
Over the span of 35 years, the Ronald McDonald House has been a safe haven for families with children seeking medical care in nearby hospitals, as it has provided free and home-like accommodations for those temporarily residing there.
Originating in 1990 with only 16 bedrooms available, the Ronald McDonald House was delighted to recently make necessary adjustments and expansions to the house, which now allow them to have 27 rooms available for families in need. Along with the additional rooms, the renovated house includes a larger kitchen, dining and living areas where families can prepare meals and share time together, a pantry with freezers, refrigerators, and food items, and, finally, a robust laundry facility, which is available for use 24/7.
“It’s hard to believe 35 years ago this all began in the town of Morgantown,” Eleanor Reigel, Chief Executive Officer of the Ronald McDonald Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown, said. “We are just so thrilled that we can continue to provide support to the families that are seeking medical care for their children in Morgantown by providing them a place to stay.”
Small but mighty, the Ronald McDonald House staffs 15 full-time and 12 part-time workers. In addition to workers, they are always accepting those interested in volunteering or helping out in any way possible.
“We have wonderful volunteers that come on site,” Reigel stated. “They could be individual groups or corporate groups. It’s a great way to bring your team together to support families in their time of need.”
The Ronald McDonald House also has a wishlist drive on their website, where those interested can provide families with items they may need or request, such as paper towels, trash bags, etc.
In addition to the wishlist drive, they have house warmer programs, where individuals who would prefer to make a greater commitment by visiting on a regular basis, may help out with anything in the house or simply just spend time with those residing there.
“We understand their focus should be on their child and the healing process,” Reigel said. “Their journeys can be quite stressful, so myself and the team make sure we can do whatever we can to fundraise to offset our cost.”
As of 2025, the Ronald McDonald House has provided 112 families with a place to stay, equating to around 16,000 nights of care, and they expect this number to rise in the coming years.