Southern California McDonald's® Restaurants "Give A Hand" To Families In Need This Holiday Season

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Southern California McDonald's® restaurants are celebrating McHappy Day®, a signature fundraising event to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC)®.  As McDonald's charity of choice for more than 30 years, RMHC creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

Through November 20, Southland residents are invited to purchase a paper "Give A Hand" in denominations of $1, $3, or $5 at McDonald's restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the "Give A Hand" fundraiser are donated to the global and local chapters of RMHC.

Individuals can also show their support for RMHC by participating in the "Give A Hand" online sweepstakes. Entrants must write a message of support for RMHC on their hand, take a picture, and submit it online via @McDonalds Twitter handle for the chance to help RMHC and win prizes. Each day throughout the campaign, one winner will be selected at random to receive a $50 Arch Card for themselves and a $500 donation for their local RMHC Chapter. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Subject to Official Rules. See Official Rules for details: http://bit.ly/McDGAHRules.  More information on the sweepstakes can be found at http://bit.ly/mcdgah.

"We are thrilled to support McHappy Day and, alongside our customers, provide crucial funding for local Ronald McDonald Houses, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, RMHC's scholarship programs and the community grants program," said Michael Mangione, Jr., McDonald's owner/operator and president of the McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California (MOASC). "We encourage our customers to 'Give A Hand' as each dollar makes a tremendous difference in the lives of local children and families."

McDonald's commitment to RMHC and local charitable programs in Southern California extends beyond the annual "Give A Hand" fundraiser. As part of the company's ongoing support of RMHC, McDonald's owner/operators donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Happy Meal® and Mighty Kids Meal® purchased in participating U.S. restaurants every day.

About McDonald's
McDonald's USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome food made from quality ingredients to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local business men and women. Customers can now log online for free at any of the more than 12,000 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter (@McDonalds) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds) for updates on our business, promotions and products.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities^® (RMHC^®), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 57 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House^®, Ronald McDonald Family Room^® and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile^®, and millions of dollars in grants to support children's programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit www.rmhc.org, follow RMHC on Twitter (@RMHC), or like RMHC on Facebook (Facebook.com/RMHC Global).

SOURCE McDonald's of Southern California