Ronald McDonald House Coastal Empire (RMHCE) will officially celebrate the launch of its second Hospitality Cart with Heart Program, expanding vital comfort and support services to families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children's Hospital of Savannah.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Friday, February 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Ronald McDonald House Coastal Empire, followed by the official hospital launch, when the cart begins serving families inside the NICU. This marks the second Hospitality Cart in the Coastal Empire, reinforcing RMHCE’s commitment to meeting families where they are especially during their most difficult moments.

The Ronald McDonald Hospitality Cart with Heart is a collaboration between Ronald McDonald House Coastal Empire and the Kiwanis Club of Skidaway. The cart delivers five essential comforts directly to hospitalized children and their caregivers:
meals/snacks, beverages, Legos/activities, toiletries, and emergency clothing.

Staff and trained Hospitality Cart volunteers roll the cart through pediatric units multiple times each week, providing these items at no cost, offering both practical support and a moment of relief during long hospital days.

Funded through a grant from the Kiwanis Club of Skidaway, the Hospitality Cart program extends the mission of the Ronald McDonald Family Room® located inside Memorial Health- a “haven in the hospital” that allows caregivers to rest, shower, eat, and recharge while remaining close to their child’s bedside.

“The Hospitality Cart program is unique in the Coastal Empire, and we are proud to support its expansion to serve families who need it most,” said Jeff Header, Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Skidaway. “These small comforts can have an outsized impact—lifting spirits, easing stress, and reminding families they are not alone.”

“This is what meeting families where they are truly looks like,” said Billy Sorochak, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Coastal Empire. “In 2025 alone, more than 5,294 families were served through our Hospitality Cart program. Expanding into the NICU allows us to support families at one of the most critical and vulnerable points in their journey, when every act of care matters.”