Ronald McDonald house breaks new ground to expand.

Construction has been going on for weeks at the facility, which since 1990 has provided a home away from home for families seeking medical services for their children.

The facilities offer families a room with a personal bath, laundry services and at least one hot meal a day provided by donors or volunteers.

Amy Bush, the chief administrative officer for WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, said “the Ronald McDonald House has been a wonderful partner in making sure that WVU Medicine Children’s can care not just for our patients, but their families as well.”

Eleanor Reigel, CEO for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown, said they “provide a place for families to stay while they are seeking medical care for their children.”

Reigel said the home is expanding its grounds to accommodate a growing demand now that the new WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital is fully operational.

“With the increase in services provided to children, with the different specialties, we are seeing an increase in the need,” she said. “One of the reasons we are expanding is to help with the demand of the hospital expansion.”

Added Bush: “We know that when a child is sick, it impacts the entire family. We treat children and expectant mothers from across the region, and sometimes they’re a great distance from home. We believe in helping families feel at home, even when they can’t be. That’s where the Ronald McDonald House is a great help in offering support when families need it most.”

The Ronald McDonald House plans to add 11 new rooms, a new pavilion and an elevator. Additionally, an extended parking lot and new entryway will be constructed in the following months.

After completing the additions, officials plan to renovate the original rooms, the kitchen, the living room and the children’s play area.

“By the time the project is done, we will have one brand new home, which will be awesome. We will be servicing 27 families at that point,” Reigel said.

The construction is expected to finish in a year’s time and has been funded through help from individual donors, corporate donors and some grants, Reigel said.

“This expansion and renovation will have a significant impact on providing those services. Plus, with it being a new building, it is going to be more efficient from a maintenance prospective. So that will help with the overall daily operations,” she said.

Despite of the construction, the Ronald McDonald House is still fully operational and has some rooms open for families in need of the service.

While Reigel is excited about the additions, she looks to the holidays with hope.

For Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, special meals will be planned for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

Families that were staying this Halloween received their own personal bag of candy to commemorate the holiday, Reigel said.

“We will definitely do something to make sure that the families feel special. You know, it’s hard not being home for the holidays and having a sick child on top of that,” Reigel said.

“We all have the same goal, to improve the lives of children and families across West Virginia and the surrounding region,” Bush said.