Flower Hill Second Graders Bake Pies for Charity
Flower Hill Primary School second graders in the class of teachers Lisa Baldanza and Suzanne Guiliani made pies in the run-up to Thanksgiving Day and donated the items to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission for distribution to local families.
The exercise drove home some important lessons and helped students appreciate the many blessings they enjoy while providing the youngsters with an opportunity to help others not as fortunate.
The second graders learned about the history of Thanksgiving in America and how the holiday evolved from its founding in the colonial era to modern day society. Students quickly agreed with their teachers that the Helping Hand Rescue Mission on Broadway in Huntington Station is engaged in important work on behalf of the needy in the community.
All the necessary ingredients were brought to school and with a little advice and help here and there from their teachers, class parents and parent volunteers, the youngsters were able to create appealing pumpkin and apple pies, four in all.
Class parent Maryanne O’Brien took the pies home, popped them in her oven and baked the items to perfection. Second graders Gemma Cartwright, Katie Meagher, Gianna Forte and Emma O’Brien accompanied Mrs. O’Brien on a delivery run to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission’s headquarters
“All students learned about how Thanksgiving is about giving and how we give to those that are less fortunate,” Mrs. Baldanza said. “This has been a tradition for many years in this second grade classroom and one that we look forward to doing. Thanks to all who made this day a success!”
The Helping Hand Rescue Mission was founded in 1965 by Rev. Rose Marie Gaines, her husband and her mother. According to the organization’s website, “After witnessing local poverty conditions first hand, they invested everything they had with the view that if they could help even one person it was worth the investment.”
The Mission supplies food, clothing and furniture to needy families, as well as visiting elderly residents and delivering goods to the homes of those unable to come to the group’s headquarters. The Mission’s main priority is to reach children suffering under impoverished conditions, providing disadvantaged children with educational and character building instruction, school supplies and love.
For more information about the Helping Hand Rescue Mission go to their website at www.hhrm.net or call Rev. Gaines at 351-6996.