The Cart With Heart
When a child is hospitalized, parents and caregivers often don’t want to leave their side.
Meals are skipped.
Personal items are forgotten.
Hours pass without a break.
That’s why our Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Carts bring comfort directly to families inside the hospital, meeting them where they are, when they need it most.
It’s care in motion.
Our Hospitality Carts travel throughout pediatric areas of the hospital, bringing complimentary everyday essentials and small comforts directly to families.
Depending on the needs of the family, our carts may provide:
The items may be simple.
The impact isn’t.
A LEGO set can provide a welcome distraction during a long treatment.
A snack may be the first thing a parent has eaten in hours.
A toothbrush or clean shirt can make an unexpected hospital stay a little more manageable.
And sometimes a brief conversation reminds a family that someone sees what they’re going through.
Because when parents won’t leave their child’s bedside, support must come to them.
Since our first Hospitality Cart began rolling through the hospital in 2022, the program has become an important extension of Ronald McDonald House Coastal Empire.
In 2026 alone, our Hospitality Cart served over 8,000 families, bringing comfort and essential items directly to families during their child’s medical care.
As the need has grown, so has the program.
Today, two Hospitality Carts help us reach even more families throughout the hospital.
The One Hundred Children’s Foundation
Our first Hospitality Cart began serving families on Valentine’s Day 2022, made possible through the generous leadership and support of The One Hundred Children’s Foundation.
Their investment helped us take the care and comfort of Ronald McDonald House beyond our walls and directly to families inside the children’s hospital.
Kiwanis Club of Skidaway
On January 1, 2026, a second Hospitality Cart began serving families in the NICU through the generous support of the Kiwanis Club of Skidaway.
This expansion allows us to reach parents and caregivers whose child’s medical needs can make leaving the unit especially difficult.
These partnerships demonstrate what can happen when community organizations see a need and step forward to meet it.
Not every family needs a room at our House.
But every family navigating a child’s hospitalization can benefit from comfort and support.
Our Hospitality Carts extend the Ronald McDonald House experience directly into the hospital, reaching families who may be staying with us, waiting for a room, living nearby or spending long days and nights beside their child.
No room key required. No distance from the bedside. Just care, delivered.
Every trip through the hospital depends on the community that cares.
Financial gifts, donated items and volunteer support help keep our Hospitality Carts stocked with the everyday essentials and little comforts families need.
Help stock our carts with the most-needed items for children and families.
Help Ronald McDonald House Coastal Empire provide comfort and support to families throughout our programs.
Your gift helps us meet families where they are, right when they need us.
Sometimes caring for a family means giving them a place to stay.
Sometimes it means bringing that care directly to them.
One family. One bedside. One cart at a time.
