Club co-ordinator and McDonald’s Dunedin office manager Annemarie Jorissen was "absolutely delighted" the amount raised almost matched the $138,000 made last year.
The money was raised through a "mystery dining experience" at restaurants and other venues throughout the city last night, as well as two associated auctions.
At the Glenroy, Dunedin resident Sheryl Cawte praised Ronald McDonald House for its strong support for her daughter Mavis (16 months), when she needed
open heart surgery at Starship Hospital, Auckland, last December, after being born with a heart defect.
Mrs Cawte was unsure how she would have coped with the "financial and emotional stress" if she suddenly had to find somewhere to live in Auckland.
But Ronald McDonald House provided free accommodation, "thanks to generous families, businesses and individuals, strangers" from around the country and their donations of "time, food, money to change other people’s lives", she said.
Ms Jorissen said sponsors had provided "amazing" support for yesterday’s fundraiser, and wider community backing was apparent from the "good buzz in the room" at the Glenroy.
