McDonald’s® announced a new in-restaurant fundraising program and online campaign benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities® and local children. Beginning this summer participating McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. will donate proceeds from all daily Happy Meal® and Mighty Kids Meal® sales to McDonald’s «Charity of Choice» (RMHC) benefiting more than 11,000 sick and critically ill children and their families every day.

This new fundraising effort comes to life through a sharable online campaign, «Family Time. Happy Time,» where families are encouraged to pledge minutes of «happy time» together and share their own creative activities with other families via McDonald’s Facebook page or their personal blogs. To demonstrate how time spent together benefits other families, and that a small gesture can add up to make a big difference, McDonald’s will donate one penny to RMHC for each minute pledged, with a goal of reaching 1 million minutes and $10,000 to use toward family time activities for RMHC guests.

In addition to purchasing a Happy Meal or Mighty Kids Meal, where one penny from each purchase will benefit RMHC, or pledging family time through the online program, customers can also drop spare change in a RMHC Donation Box at participating McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. or support McDonald’s annual «Give A Hand®» fundraiser—small gestures that add up to make a big difference for families in need. Last year, these Donation Boxes at McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. raised nearly $20 million for local RMHC Chapters.