Grant application information is available at RMHC of Maine’s website, www.rmhcmaine.org.

Bangor, ME (Feb.28, 2012)– Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of Maine recently announced that it has awarded grant funding totaling $85,205.00 to seven Maine non-profit organizations. This brings the total grants awarded by RMCH of Maine in 2011 to $175,354.00.

RMHC of Maine is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help Maine children and their families lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. While the Portland and Bangor Ronald McDonald Houses® are the cornerstones of the Charities, RMHC of Maine’s support goes far beyond the Houses. Since its founding in 1989, RMHC of Maine has awarded more than $1.7 million in charitable grants to not-for-profit programs that positively impact families and children across Maine.

In September and October 2011, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine awarded funding to the following organizations:

CENTRAL MAINE

Boys & Girls Club/YMCA, Waterville: $35,000 ($17,500 from RMHC Maine and a matching grant of $17,500 from National RMHC) to support the Alfond Youth Center.

Jobs for Maine Graduates, Augusta: $4,000 for the Financial Literacy Program.

MID-COAST

Healthy Kids, Damariscotta: $12,195 for its Child Abuse Prevention program.

SOUTHERN MAINE

Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Portland: $5,000 to support the Autistic HeART Program.

A Company of Girls, Portland: $4,000 ($2,000 from RMHC Maine and a matching grant of $2,000 from National RMHC) for The Ensemble program.

Girls Scout of Maine, South Portland: $4,000 ($2,000 from RMHC Maine and a matching grant of $2,000 from National RMHC) for A Place for Girls.

Youth Alternatives Ingraham, South Portland: $21,010 to help fund the Deering Place Playspace project.

RMHC of Maine is funded in part by McDonald’s® customers who generously make donations in the canisters found at every McDonald’s drive-thru and service counter. McDonald’s restaurants across Maine hold annual events to raise money for RMHC such as the ‘Hands’ fundraiser in the Fall and the Maine McDonald’s All-Star Basketball Games in March. In addition, a portion of the sale of every McDonald’s Happy Meal® supports RMHC.

By logging on to RMHC of Maine’s website, www.rmhcmaine.org, non-profit organizations will find information about RMHC’s grant application process and qualifications to apply. In addition, anyone wishing to make a donation to RMHC of Maine will find the necessary contact information. More information is also available by phoning: (207) 990-2763.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities

RMHC of Maine was founded in 1989 by the owner/operators of McDonald’s® restaurants in Maine and Eastern New Hampshire as a way to give back to their communities. Since then, RMHC of Maine has grown from a small not-for-profit organization to a powerful force of change in our communities and in our children’s lives. Over the past 21 years, RMHC of Maine has granted more than $1.7 million to local children’s programs that make a measurable impact in our communities. For more information about the Ronald McDonald House Charities, visit www.rmhcmaine.org.