Holiday gifts are coming early this year to families staying at the Long Island Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park.
The Ronald McDonald House has teamed up with the Metropolitan Commercial Bank to host a toy drive to give back to their community as part of the newest bank opening in Great Neck.
“This toy drive is our way of bringing the community closer together and providing the people of Long Island,” said Mark DeFazio, president and CEO of Metropolitan Commercial Bank.
The Ronald McDonald house, which is located near Cohen Children’s Medical Center, provides a “home away from home” for parents of children in the midst of a medical at nearby hospitals, providing meals and housing, and in the Holiday season even toys.
Matthew Campo, executive director of Ronald McDonald House, said the organization relies on donations from members of the community, and is very grateful for the Metropolitan’s partnership.
“We’re excited because this is a special time of the year for our families here,” Campo said. “They really expressed their desire to assist the community.”
The Metropolitan Commercial Bank is accepting unopened toy donations through December, at its Great Neck location at 111 Great Neck Road, to provide for the children and their families during the holidays. The bank and the Ronald McDonald House urge anyone to donate any unopened toys.
The Metropolitan Commercial Bank will also be matching any cash donations up to $10,000, to purchase additional toys for the drive.
“Long Island, especially the Great Neck area, is an extremely caring community,” DeFazio said. “We are thrilled to now be a part of it.”
The collected toys will be distributed at the annual Ronald McDonald House’s annual Lights of Love Family Fun Run on Dec. 10, as well as during Hanukkah and Christmas Eve celebrations. Bags of toys will be left outside children’s rooms at night for a morning surprise.
As part of an ongoing collaboration, sometime in January, employees from the bank will help out with the Ronald McDonald House’s dinner program, preparing nightly meals for families living in the home.
“As soon as we started talking to the Metropolitan, they heard about the dinner program and instantly got on board with it,” Campo said. “We connected with them to sort of celebrate their coming out to Long Island, right up the road from us in Great Neck.”
Campo said the Ronald McDonald House is really excited about what the partnership will bring in the near future, and plans to keep it growing beyond just this holiday season.
“They’re such sincere people,” he said. “They are so entrenched in the community. This program is just a way for them to give back and touch and feel what we do here.”
The Metropolitan Commercial Bank plans to open its Great Neck branch sometime in December, and a ribbon cutting ceremony will be announced at a later date.
“Coming to Long Island is an incredible milestone for our company,” DeFazio said. “We look forward to serving the people of Great Neck and the surrounding communities for years to come.”
