Volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House

Boise, ID

Volunteers provide an essential layer of support to the House!

From helping keep things tidy and clean, helping at events, preparing and serving meals, to baking goodies for families. Choose from a variety of options below.

Thank you for your interest in helping support the House!

How You Can Help

Whether you’re volunteering on your own or as a group, we have a lot of great options to choose from. Individuals and groups who fit within the parameters outlined under each volunteer opportunity below, can easily reserve their shift by following the link under that particular volunteer role. 

For groups larger than 15, our Volunteer Manager can help coordinate a “mix-and-match” approach to accommodate your entire group. If you would like to schedule a large group, please give our Volunteer Manager a call and plan to prove the following: Desired number of participants, day of the week constraints, time of the week constraints, and a few potential dates you are available to volunteer. When you’re ready, call 208-336-5478.

To help you plan and offer better understanding of what to expect, we’ve answered some common questions on our House FAQ page.

Interested in committing to a weekly shift? Email volunteers@rmhcidaho.org.

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Group Cooking Chili at the House

Help feed our families so their focus can remain on their ill or injured child. All food must be prepared in our House or in a commercial kitchen.

  • Breakfast shifts are available daily, 8:00 am-10:00 am (1-4 people). Make or provide breakfast: pastries, quiches, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, etc. Breakfast is always a popular meal.
  • Lunch shifts are available daily, 10:00 am-12:00 pm (1-4 people). Soup and sandwiches, enchilada bake, brunch, pizza, etc. Families love to have something easy waiting for them so they can get right back to their kids.
  • Freezer meal shifts are available daily, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm (1-4 people). Freezer meals are utilized when our volunteer meal shifts go unfilled or are canceled due to illness. These meals can easily be heated up to ensure our families always have food available. Things like overnight breakfast bakes, casseroles, pasta bakes, and burritos are good examples.
  • Dinner shifts are available daily, 3:00 pm-6:00 pm (1-4 people). Pasta dinners, casseroles, taco bar, salad bar, baked potato bar, soup, burgers and fries, etc. We love to have variety!
Group Cooking Snacks at the House

Snack shifts are available daily, 10:00 am-12:00 pm (1-4 people) OR 1:00 pm-3:00 pm (1-4 people). Make a delicious savory or sweet treat. Savory treats might include veggie cups with hummus or ranch dip, savory quiche, sandwich pinwheels, stuffed celery sticks, chex mix, trail mix, or savory scones. Sweet treats might be brownies, cupcakes, muffins, tarts, quickbreads, cookies, or rice krispy treats.

All food must be prepared in our House or in a commercial kitchen.

Group Raking and Gardening at the House

In just two hours, you can help keep our House clean, safe, and welcoming for our families. Tasks may include sanitizing, organizing, sweeping, or restocking. Shifts are available daily, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm OR 6:00 pm-8:00 pm (1-15 people).

Group at House Holding Care Bags

To be completed offsite; time and group size are based on your own venue’s availability. We have a variety of projects that allow you to find the right one for you!

  • We love being able to give handmade cards: to guests in welcome bags, to celebrate birthdays, and to say thank you! You can help us by decorating the exterior of a card, leaving it blank for us to add a message inside.
  • Host an online wish list drive. Raise awareness of our mission and let people know we have a monthly wish list. Spend some time reading our website and pick out facts that are interesting to you about how we serve families, and tell your family and friends about what you’ve learned via social media. Link to our wish list so they can decide if they would like to purchase something.
  • Sew blankets, taggies, or pillowcases.
  • Crocheted stuffies with crocheted eyes.
  • Host a pull tab collection effort: Pull tab recycling funds allow us to purchase perishable items such as eggs, milk, and yogurt to have for our guest families. You can help us by collecting pull tabs from family, friends, schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces. Take a look at our recycling page for more details and for information to share so others know what a difference they’re making!
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Volunteer Requirements:

Due to the compromised health condition of families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House and Family Room, all volunteers will need to meet the following pre-requisites.

  • If you are sick, please cancel or change your shift.
  • Minimum age of 7, and minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Make a Difference for Families & Children

Parents don’t know when their children will need medical help. But they should know they can always access the care they need. And with your help, we can support them all throughout their journey.