Isles Wives and Girlfriends Volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House

On a cold and snowy morning on Long Island, 10 wives and girlfriends of the New York Islanders provided warmth through home cooking at Ronald McDonald House on Tuesday.
With the team on the road over a thousand miles away in Minnesota, the ladies made an impact locally, preparing meals for sick children and their families staying at the New Hyde Park facility, in need of a lift after a long day.
"The Ronald McDonald House is near and dear to our hearts," said Grace Lee, wife of captain Anders Lee. "Anything we can do to make the families feel more at home, it's so worth it."

An aroma of basil filled the kitchen at the facility as the women prepared meals ahead of the lunchtime rush. They got to work cutting bread, preparing sandwich fillings, washing vegetables and cooking pasta.
"Things that happen here each and every day - like the Islanders wives coming to support us - really make families feel at home," said Matthew Campo, CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Metro. "Our relationship with the New York Islanders goes back many years."

Helping out at the facility has become an annual tradition for the Islanders' wives and girlfriends, who are active in the community. Newcomers to the event, such as Holly Horvat (Bo Horvat's wife) and Ashlee Palmieri took a tour of the facility in the morning to see all the amenities available to families of sick kids.
For children facing medical challenges, daunting hospital rooms and constant doctor's visits can be quite scary. The Ronald McDonald House provides a supportive and comforting environment for children with illnesses, such as 19-year-old Lily Wend.
"I love how welcoming all the volunteers are," Wend said. "Coming back from a doctor's appointments, they're here to greet you, cheer you up and cheer you on. That's my favorite part."
The purpose of the foundation is to keep families together with their child in the hospital, providing a sense of normalcy through the care of homecooked meals, colorful spaces for families to relax, and most importantly, a place to call home during a tumultuous time.
Wend is originally from Texas, but her life was upended due to several diseases that required care in the New York City area. She and her family have been staying at the Ronald McDonald House for about six months.
"It's been quite stressful with doctor's appointments," Wend said of her health journey. "So having a place that isn't home but feels like home… it's really comforting."
Parents and caretakers can find relief knowing everyone else in the network of facilities has a sick child, which forms a sense of belonging and a space to share resources.
"It does a lot more than just giving families a place to stay, it gives them their own community," said Lily's mother, Madi Wend. "It's a special type of community when you have families that are going through hard things."
Ahead of lunchtime, Lily and her mother spent time surrounded by the Isles wives and girlfriends, chatting with the ladies and bonding with them.
Participating in volunteer work at the Ronald McDonald House hits close to home for Holly Horvat, whose sister was sick and lived in the Vancouver facility for parts of three years.
"I grew up a lot in the Ronald McDonald house," Horvat said of her family's journey. "These little things that we're doing make a big impact for families. I know how much it means to them, just living through it."
"It's a wonderful opportunity for us to be in the community and help families during really hard times," she added.