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Community
Giving Back.Our founder, Ray Kroc, built McDonald’s on a foundation of ethical business conduct and involvement in our local communities. McDonald’s owner/operators and company-operated restaurants fulfill these vital commitments every day in many ways.
Support for Breast Cancer Services
McDonald’s takes great pride in supporting the organizations and causes that are important to our employees and customers. In 2009, McDonald’s returns as national presenting sponsor of Breast Cancer Network of Strength’s Mother’s Day Walk to Empower events taking place in 16 cities across the country – Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., New Haven, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Miami, Houston, Tulsa, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle. Sponsorship of this national Mother’s Day tradition continues McDonald’s heritage of giving back to our communities and our long-standing commitment to breast cancer awareness and education support. For more information regarding the events or to find more breast cancer information and resources, visit www.networkofstrength.org.
World Children's Day
Since 2002, McDonald's restaurants around the world have hosted an annual simultaneous fundraiser for children in their communities—World Children's Day. The event benefits local Ronald McDonald House Charities Chapters and other programs for children. In 2008, our U.S. restaurants raised more than $8 million and since the program's inception, World Children's Days has raised more than $150 million around the world. The funds mean additional support for RMHC, its 157 local Chapters across the country, and their core programs—Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. They also help support the RMHC U.S. Scholarship Program and grants to other organizations that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

Growing Communities. McDonald’s in the community means jobs for local residents, opportunities for local suppliers, and revenues for local projects and services. Our restaurants are often key elements in neighborhood stability and revitalization.
Broadway-themed Times Square restaurant
Broadway-themed Times Square restaurant
McDonald’s in New York City
Owner/operator Irwin Kruger created a unique customer experience and helped revitalize a key urban center when he opened his restaurant in New York City’s legendary Times Square. The three-story, 300-seat restaurant occupies a historic landmark building and celebrates the theatrical tradition of the neighborhood.
McDonald’s in Texas
In 2004, McDonald’s 1,041 restaurants in Texas:
  • Provided jobs for nearly 41,500 local residents.
  • Paid approximately $508.3 million in employee wages and benefits.

  • Paid approximately $55.8 million in business taxes, license fees, and payroll taxes.
  • Purchased approximately $508.3 million from Texas suppliers.
  • Generated more than 107,870 additional jobs and approximately $304.3 million in tax revenues through their purchases of local goods and services.
Supporting Education. McDonald’s owner/operators support education in many ways. They develop and co-sponsor local programs, host fundraisers for their local schools, and provide scholarships and other education assistance for their employees. They are key sources of support for the RMHC scholarship programs.
Camp Mickey D’s
Texas owner/operator Sybel Pici reached out to a local school district to create Camp Mickey D’s—an innovative program that helps students learn about workplace values and the connection between school and work. The program is now sponsored by the Greater San Antonio McDonald’s Owner Association and now serves 38 high schools in 14 school districts. Sybel and her husband and fellow owner/operator Bob also pay for tutoring for their restaurant student employees.

Scholarships for Restaurant Crew
Birmingham, Alabama owner/operators Max Cooper and Ed Levins provide college scholarship ”bonuses” for their restaurant crew members. Over the years, thousands of crew members have received a total of approximately $500,000 in financial assistance. Cooper says, “This is our way of helping our employees achieve their dreams.”
Crew member, Mary Elligan, shows Mickey Ds camper, Maria Pena, how to work the register
Crew member Mary Elligan shows Mickey D’s camper Maria Pena how to work the register
McDonald’s Corporation Programs
Working with The Field Museum in Chicago, McDonald’s is making it possible for the public to experience and learn about "Sue," the world's largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil.* We have sponsored two touring life-size replicas, a program for elementary schools, and state-of-the-art fossil preparation laboratories, where the public can view the continuing restoration process. We originally helped the Field Museum purchase Sue, so that she would be available to researchers and the public.

We have created and make available educational resources to enrich elementary and secondary classroom studies. Most were developed in collaboration with prominent organizations like the National Wildlife Federation, the American School Counselor Association, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, and Scholastic magazine.

McDonald’s Corporation sponsors a National Employee Scholarship Program for qualifying restaurant employees. We also fund National Merit Scholarships for children of employees and others within the McDonald’s System.

McDonald’s is a contributing company in the Upromise network, a revolutionary college savings accelerator for customers.

RMHC. Ronald McDonald House Charities creates, finds, and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children in the U.S. and around the world. McDonald’s and McDonald’s owner/operators provide ongoing support for RMHC.

To help parents keep their children healthy, RMHC teams up with the American Academy of Pediatrics on a children’s immunization program—Immunize for Healthy Lives. This program, now in its eleventh year, brings local health care providers, local RMHC Chapters, and McDonald’s restaurants together to educate parents on the importance of timely vaccinations for their children.

For information about RMHC programs, grant procedures, and local contact information, visit the RMHC Web site.

* Sue at The Field Museum is made possible by McDonald's Corporation. Additional support for Sue provided by Walt Disney World Resort, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources/Illinois State Museum, and the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust.