18 Jun RMHC of CNY Invites Community Members To Participate in Annual “Christmas in July” Donation Drive

Posted at 13:17h in Events, News by

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Central New York (RMHC® of CNY) is celebrating “Christmas in July” and encouraging community members to collect and donate items from its wish list. All items will help support the many guest families with seriously ill children who travel to Syracuse for medical care and rely on the CNY Ronald McDonald House as a comfortable place to stay.

“In 2023 alone, nearly 800 family members stayed with us for over 3,700 nights; with so many families, there is a high demand for everyday pantry staples,” said Beth Trunfio, executive director, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York. “Additionally, rising costs at the grocery store have impacted our operating expenses, leading to an increased need for community support this year and making events like our ‘Christmas in July’ donation drive all the more important.”

The nonprofit’s complete “Christmas in July” wish list can be found here. Items include, but are not limited to:

  • Food and drink items: grab-and-go meals and snacks that are individually packaged, cereal (full-size boxes), canned goods, K-Cup pods (not decaf) and non-dairy creamer
  • Household items: food prep gloves, 13-gallon trash bags, to-go coffee cups with lids, paper towels and other assorted paper products
  • Gift cards: Wegmans, Tops, Aldi, Target, Walmart, Amazon and Instacart

All donations must be new and unopened to safeguard the health of the seriously ill children the nonprofit serves.

Donations can be dropped off on Wednesday, July 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CNY Ronald McDonald House at 1100 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and available to anyone who makes a drop-off during that time frame. To schedule an alternate drop-off time, please call 315-476-1027 or email Zoe White at zwhite@rmhcny.org or Erin Soldo at esoldo@rmhcny.org.

Community members can also celebrate “Christmas in July” by purchasing items from the organization’s Amazon wish list. The list includes larger items and a wider selection of household products, food and infant supplies. Donations purchased through Amazon will be delivered directly to the CNY Ronald McDonald House.

Additionally, as RMHC of CNY nears completion of its $1.1 million expansion of the CNY Ronald McDonald House to add six family suites, the nonprofit has released a separate virtual housewarming wish list. Community members can donate toward items on the list – comprised exclusively of items that are needed to furnish the new suites – to support the project. The expansion, which includes renovating more than 9,000 square feet of previously unfinished space on the fourth floor of the House, will allow the nonprofit to meet the evolving needs of its guest families and enable it to better accommodate large and multigenerational families.