• A portion of proceeds from all food and beverage items sold on May 11 will be donated to RMHC® and other local children’s charities
• Purchase exclusive McDonald’s Canada x Peace Collective collection featuring nostalgic McDonaldland® characters, dropping today
• Canadians can get in the McHappy Day spirit by streaming cheerful music mixes curated by Canadian DJs dropping daily in May

TORONTO, April 19, 2022 – Through delicious food, retro merch, and happy music, McDonald’s Canada is rallying Canadians to join in on the best day of the year – McHappy Day®! In celebration of the 28th McHappy Day on Wednesday, May 11, participating McDonald’s restaurants in Canada are donating a portion of the proceeds from all food and beverage items sold all day to support local Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) programs, and other local children’s charities.

Canadians can look good while doing good in the limited-edition collection of tees, sweatshirts, hoodies, and more, which for the first time ever, features iconic McDonaldland characters. With a portion of the proceeds of every sale from the collection going to support Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada and families with sick children across Canada, the feel-good nostalgic collection is available for purchase starting today until May 11 while supplies last at: https://www.peace-collective.com/collections/mcdonalds.

How you can support McHappy Day on May 11th!

This year, participating McDonald’s restaurants in Canada are once again raising money to support families with sick children from across Canadian communities, when it’s needed most.

Here are some of the ways to get involved:

• On McHappy Day, May 11, every food and beverage purchase, all day, supports families with sick children through RMHC, and local children’s charities.
• Guests can purchase their favourite menu items in-restaurant, at the Drive-Thru, through the McDonald’s app, and McDelivery® via Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes and DoorDash. McDelivery orders of $15 or more qualify for $0 delivery fee (before taxes and fees; see the applicable app for details).
• In the weeks leading up to McHappy Day, McDonald’s guests can make a $2 donation to receive a McHappy Day Heart, while supplies last, that will come with a surprise “thank you” video from a variety of Canadian celebrities, athletes, or families that have stayed at RMHC.
• Can’t make it to McHappy Day? Guests can ‘Round up for RMHC’ on any order at participating restaurants to support RMHC all year long or visit ca for more ways to support.

Daily DJ sets dropping in May will spread the good feeling across Canada

Music has long been important to RMHC to help promote wellness and happiness during difficult times, with some Ronald McDonald Houses even offering music therapy programs with certified music therapists. This McHappy Day, McDonald’s Canada is using the emotional power of music to connect Canadians and spread that joyful feeling far and wide.

To do this, McDonald’s Canada is partnering with DJs across the country to curate their very own cheerful music mixes, to be performed live every day in May leading up to McHappy Day. The entire country will be able to get into the spirit and listen to their favourite DJ mixes anytime, anywhere on McDonald’s Canada Spotify.

Quotes

“RMHC holds a very special place in my heart, and I’m enormously proud and thankful to see Canadians come together to make a difference in the lives of sick kids and their families across Canada,” said Alyssa Buetikofer, Chief Marketing Officer, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited. “McHappy Day is one of the most important and special days of the year, and we’re so grateful for the commitment and passion of our franchisees, crew, restaurant teams and guests for their support of RMHC and our communities.”

“McHappy Day provides a special opportunity for our communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast to come together and support families with a sick child during their most challenging times,” said Kate Horton, Executive Director, RMHC Canada. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participates on McHappy Day - from McDonald’s franchisees to crew members, and guests. Together with the generous support of Canadians on McHappy Day, we can help even more families stay close to each other, and close to the healthcare their child needs.”

“The Ronald McDonald House was able to support our family during one of the most difficult times in our lives,” said Carinta Mannarelli, whose child Emma was diagnosed with cancer and stayed three times for a total of 112 nights at RMHC Toronto. “We’re very excited to participate in McHappy Day again this year, knowing how much it means to support families like ours to stay close together, when it’s needed most.”

“It’s truly an honour to partner with McDonald’s Canada and RMHC for McHappy Day for the third year in a row,” said Yanal Dhailieh, founder of Peace Collective. “At Peace Collective, we’re driven by a passion to make giving back easy and accessible, so we’re thrilled to get the chance to design this exclusive McHappy Day collection and bring our joint vision of helping communities in need to life.”

“I’ve seen first-hand the way music has been able to help bring people together,” said DJ Starting From Scratch, one of the McHappy Day DJs. “It’s an exciting challenge to create a special mix for this year’s McHappy Day that will uplift everyone across Canada and encourage them to support families in need across the country.”

Facts:

• McHappy Day is McDonald’s Canada’s largest charity-driven program. Since its inception in 1977, McHappy Day has helped RMHC support more than 436,000 families across Canada.
• The 16 Ronald McDonald Houses and 17 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in Canada give families a place to stay together when they have to travel for their sick child’s treatment.
• In an average year, RMHC supports over 26,000 families from more than 3,400 communities.
• Every day, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited, our independent franchisees, and guests, support Ronald McDonald House families by purchasing Happy Meals and RMHC Cookies, as well as through coin box and kiosk donations.

About McDonald’s Canada

In 1967, Canadians welcomed the first McDonald's restaurant to Richmond, British Columbia. Today, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited has become part of the Canadian fabric, serving close to three million guests every day. In both franchised and corporate-owned restaurants, nearly 100,000 people are employed from coast-to-coast, and more than 90 per cent of McDonald's 1,400 Canadian restaurants are locally owned and operated by independent franchisees. Of the almost $1 billion spent on food, more than 85 per cent is purchased from suppliers in Canada. For more information on McDonald's Canada, visit mcdonalds.ca.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities® Canada (RMHC® CANADA)
In Canada, 65 per cent of families live outside a city with a children's hospital and must travel for treatment if their child is seriously ill. In an average year, the RMHC network of programs in Canada helps to keep more than 26,000 families close to their sick child and the care they need. The 16 Ronald McDonald Houses provide out-of-town families with a home to stay at while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital, while the 17 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms provide a comfortable place for families to rest and recharge, right inside hospitals. For more information, please visit rmhccanada.ca.

For more information: Corporate Relations, McDonald's Canada: media.relations@ca.mcd.com