At Ronald McDonald New York on East 73rd Street, volunteers like Anne Lekow help ease the stress for moms like Neisha Salfarie by playing with her 15-month-old son Azaire, and through the simple act of listening.
“When I think about it, I want to cry,” Salfarie said.
What You Need To Know
Since 1979, Ronald McDonald House New York on the Upper East Side has provided more than 59,000 families from around the world with temporary housing, offered free of charge, as their children receive treatment for serious illnesses
Officials say that for the first 10 months of 2025, Ronald McDonald House New York and its partnering hospitals received help from more than 160 volunteers
In 2024, volunteers served 84,825 meals and helped at 88 events
For more than a year, Salfarie and her son have been staying in one of nearly 100 guest rooms free of charge, with meals included, as Azaire receives treatment for a rare liver disease in infants called biliary atresia.
Salfarie admits it was painful to leave her older son in Bermuda, in the care of family members, while she and Azaire relocated to the Upper East Side to receive specialized treatments at a nearby hospital.
“It was one of the hardest things I had to do,” Salfarie said. “Sometimes when I reflect at night when he’s sleeping, I can never forget the look on my son’s face when I left the airport and he waved goodbye to me.”
“That’s the most important part of the work that we are doing here — is that the families can stay together, that we are creating a home from a house,” Lekow said.
Lekow has been involved with Ronald McDonald House since she moved to Manhattan in 1999, starting as a weekly volunteer, then leading bingo games and a jewelry-making program before her current volunteer role organizing special events.
“The house is a really important part of my life and my life here on the Upper East Side,” Lekow said. “I know the work I do here is really important. When I came here for the first time and I visited, I knew when I walked through the door, I needed to be a part of this.”
Officials say that for the first 10 months of 2025, Ronald McDonald House New York and its partnering hospitals received help from more than 160 volunteers.
In 2024, volunteers served 84,825 meals and helped at 88 events.
Chief Operations and Management Officer Wini Cudjoe has been with Ronald McDonald House New York for more than 30 years.
She says the nonprofit organization is reliant on the generosity of donors and is grateful for them.
“It’s the donors that make it possible for us to provide the services we have here,” Cudjoe said. “We have wellness, we have early childhood activities, we have recreation for the families.”
For more information on Ronald McDonald House New York, visit here.