New Ronald McDonald House in Columbia welcomes families | Mid-Missouri News [Video]

Families started to move into the new Ronald McDonald House on Friday after the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri opened its new facility Tuesday.

Ten families moved in Friday, and the new facility can host up to 24 families.

Families stay at the Ronald McDonald House while their children receive care from the MU Health Care Children’s Hospital. The charity’s senior director of family services, Amanda Reynolds, said she knows it can be difficult for families to make that transition as they’re away from home for medical care.

“Being away from your home and going through something like that is very hard … when they come through our doors, they come into the house,” Reynolds said. “We are their home away from home, so they can concentrate on their child getting better.”

The Ronald McDonald House hosts families for both short-term and long-term stays …