NHP Students Spread Joy at Soup Kitchen

New Hyde Park Memorial High School’s Red Cross and Muslim Students Association Club teamed up and volunteered at Outreach Church soup kitchen in Lawrence for the holidays.

With help from adviser Nasira Rafiq, more than 20 students gave out food and gifts and sang to those who came out.

Students prepared bags with canned foods, toiletries, milk and other necessities to give out to families that came to the soup kitchen. Sudents stationed in the kitchen helped prepare plates of rice, turkey, cake, cookies and more. Some students sang to those who walked in while others helped pass out food and drinks.

Ali Eydid from New Hyde Park Memorial said the joy the group from New Hyde Park exuded quickly spread to the rest of the soup kitchen; children clung on to the students as they said goodbye and the elderly folks sang along to favorite tunes.

This was the Red Cross Club and MSA’s first time volunteering at Outreach, but they were welcomed to come back; Outreach Church serves a soup kitchen two Saturdays each month.

As the deacon of the Outreach Church said behind tears, “Kids today get a bad rap as being uncaring and cold, but after today I know that’s not true.”