>Since my parents have many times had to use the RMcD house facilities, I am
not so sure they could afford to purchase pumps.  They are Non-profit,
Charitable Org.

Ronald McDonald Houses themselves may be non-profit, meaning they don't
charge parents much (or at all, or on a sliding scale) to stay there, but
they are funded by the definitely for-profit and highly profitable
McDonald's restaurants.  Let no one think that McDonald's CEOs fund these
houses out of the goodness of their hearts.  It is a marketing strategy,
pure and simple.  McDonald's does good works -- people think warm fuzzy
thoughts about McDonalds -- people eat at McDonalds -- therefore McDonald's
has the money to fund the houses and tons more profit besides.  If the good
"PR" they got from funding these houses didn't return money to their
bottom-line, they would not do it.

It's exactly the same as the formula companies graciously offering CEU
programs to hospitals free of charge, donating to charities on behalf of
maternal/child nurses, sponsoring educational programs like the program to
prevent hospital child abductions, and Carnation/Nestle's funding Barney for
PBS,etc.  Companies spend money to improve their public image so people will
buy their products.

McDonald's could *easily* afford to GIVE every mother of a new-born a
top-of-the-line breast pump, and they could *easily* afford to buy a van for
each house to ferry patients and parents back and forth to the hospital.
They don't need to have vans donated by formula companies.  They don't need
to plead poverty to explain why there aren't more breast pumps.

By the way, I eat at McDonald's on a regular basis -- love those fries.  Our
local McDonald's are all owned by the same family, who lives in a palatial
mansion on the golf course in the ritziest development in town.  Their house
was open to the public on last year's Home-Builder's tour, and as we walked
through, we joked about wondering which square inch of the place was "ours"
because we had funded it through buying Happy Meals over the years.  Our
local McDonald's owners do lots of other good charitable deeds for our
community (we don't have a children's hospital, so no Ronald McDonald house
here), but the bottom-line is always good PR for the company translating
into more profits.

Kathy Dettwyler

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