Massapequa Freshmen Bake For Ronald McDonald House In New Hyde Park

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. — 10 freshmen members of Massapequa High School's Helping Hands Club started their Friday morning with a bus ride to New Hyde Park to bake brownies, cookies, cinnamon rolls and oatmeal for families staying at Ronald McDonald House.

The morning also included education, teaching the students about Ronald McDonald House's mission and the services the 501(c)(3) provides to families. Ronald McDonald House allows families to stay on-site while their children undergo treatment for serious illness at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, according to a news release from the Massapequa School District.

Overseeing the volunteer effort were the community service-focused club's faculty advisors Alyssa Levine and Nicole Reiss, both teachers at Massapequa high. In the district news release, Reiss said the morning of food preparation was a beneficial experience for the Ames students.

“I think they got a lot out of it,” Reiss said. “It allowed them to experience circumstances they might not have ever been exposed to before—people who need assistance—and see how the community steps in and helps them out.”

Among the students who baked, the sentiment was similar. The students provided their own ingredients and recipes, the release said, while the kitchen equipment was courtesy of Ronald McDonald House.

“I thought it would be a very nice thing to bake for families that have kids who are in hard situations,” ninth grader Sage Milow said in the release.

Levine and Reiss intend to return to Ronald McDonald House this spring with more Helping Hands Club members, according to the district news release.