GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Starting Thursday, Oct. 18, more than 500 McDonald's restaurants across the state will begin selling red-and-white-striped mittens to support Michigan's five Ronald McDonald Houses.
The houses located in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing and Ann Arbor help more than 3,200 families of ill children each year.
McDonald's customers can support by purchasing mittens for $5.
Proceeds will be split between the Ronald McDonald Houses and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
Mittens can also be purchased online here.
This is the fourth year of the campaign, in previous years thousands of McDonald's customers sported red and white socks and hats.
The five Houses collectively provide a home away from home for families of ill children who receive care from different children's hospital's across the state.
Families receive a full system of support, a warm and comfortable room, transportation services, kitchens, laundry, living rooms, and areas to study, work and play.
All Houses are open all day, everyday and have a combined 93 bedrooms. A family's average stay ranges from four to 18 days.
Marjorie and Greg Wade of Muskegon stayed at the Grand Rapids House for 28 days when their son. Waldon was born seven weeks premature and required an extended time in the hospital
"When you have a baby in the hospital that bonding time is very important and we did not want to miss any of that time," says Marjorie. "We got to stay in the Ronald McDonald house, it was a room that we could all stay in for free, they feed us, offered rides to the hospital, it's just amazing how much they give to families."
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