Ronald McDonald House expanding capacity through renovation

The Ronald McDonald House in Loma Linda will now be able to accommodate more families thanks to a new $12 million renovation project. The facility is used by families who are visiting their children who are patients at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

The renovation project would expand the number of bedrooms from 21 to 54. Jay Brand, the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald McDonald House in the Inland Empire said families could expect to see brand new furniture, kitchens, laundry rooms, and other amenities that would allow them to feel at home at the facility. The project was funded through donations from groups such as the LA Kings hockey team and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.

One mother, Angelina Castleberry, said she was glad to see the expansion as she often had to use the Ronald McDonald House. Castleberry’s son Matthew suffered from a filing kidney due to a premature birth and needed to go to the hospital for dialysis four days a week. Due to their commute from Indio, the facility was a valuable resource.

“This house is our time away,” she said. “It’s our home away from home because we can come and just relax and get comfortable, even if it’s just for the day.”

Brand estimated about 50 percent of the families that stay at the Ronald McDonald house were from the Coachella Valley and lower desert areas. He said the facility would be unveiled to the public on Sunday and would begin housing families before Christmas.