Ohio Nonprofit Completes Facility Expansion to Create the World’s Largest Ronald McDonald House February 13, 2024

For more than 40 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio (RMHC of Central Ohio) has provided a home away from home for tens of thousands of families with children who are seriously ill, offering home-like accommodations and supportive services designed to ease the burden these families face while their children receive treatment at local hospitals. Absent RMHC of Central Ohio, these families would be forced to pay out of pocket to stay in Columbus, OH, for the duration of treatment. With approximately 70 percent of families served by the organization qualifying as low-income, those costs would not just create a financial burden but present an obstacle to treatment itself.

Late last year, RMHC of Central Ohio celebrated the completion of a $34 million facility expansion that will ensure that significantly more families have access to its services. Enabled in part by federal and state New Markets Tax Credits allocated by IFF, the expansion added 107,538 square feet to RMHC of Central Ohio’s facility. This extra space will make it possible for the organization to increase the number of families it serves annually from 4,000 to 6,500 while also creating new opportunities to provide wraparound support.

The expansion included the addition of 84 new guest rooms and the enlargement of the organization’s commercial kitchen, dining room, community room, and play rooms. Updates and improvements to existing sections of the facility were also completed, including the front desk area, hallways, and more. As a result of the project, RMHC of Central Ohio’s facility is now the largest Ronald McDonald House of more than 380 worldwide locations, helping the organization keep pace with population growth in the Columbus area and rising demand for its services following a similar facility expansion at a children’s hospital located across the street.

Check out the social media posts below to see photos of the expanded facility!