HIGH POINT, N.C. – They call him the 'South Jersey Santa,' and here's why.
 
Ryan Marengo, a junior on the High Point University men's lacrosse team, has been a dedicated volunteer with the Ronald McDonald House Charities. For the past three years, the New Jersey native has rounded up his team to help make an impact in the surrounding communities leading up to the holidays.
 
This year, High Point received over 100 toy drive donations, cooked 130 meals and baked 300 cookies and brownies for the houses. As a team, the Panthers split up into small groups and went to four different Ronald McDonald Houses in North Carolina to cook meals and deliver the toys.
 
"This year was our third annual toy drive partnered with the Ronald McDonald House and Brenner Children's Hospital," Marengo stated. "Working with the hospital houses in Winston Salem, Charlotte, Durham, and Chapel Hill has been such an amazing opportunity for this program, our entire Athletic Department, and campus."
 
The largest group of student-athletes traveled to Durham. The group consisted of Ryan Hynes, Emerson McGrath, Nick Bounassi, Joseph Jonske, Scott Moore, James Westbrooks, Ian Cann, Crew Nelson, Mason Wolford and Marengo. The student-athletes worked to make 45 breakfast platters to serve the guests staying at the house.
 
In Chapel Hill, a small group of players baked 300 cookies and brownies and delivered to the house, led by Marengo with Wolford, Westbrooks, Nelson and Justin Wixted.
 
Another small group made the trip over to the Winston-Salem RMH and cooked 45 breakfast platters for the guests. The group consisted of Collin Rovere, Tyler Gross, Noah Blair, Marengo and Marengo's roommate, Alex Brown who is not a member of the lacrosse team.
 
Three student-athletes traveled down to Charlotte for the final drop-off, led by Marengo with the help of Carson Robbins and Cole Luik. The three worked together to make 40 lunch meals for the guests staying in the Charlotte RMH.
 
"The Ronald McDonald House aids in providing comfortable and affordable housing for families of sick children who are receiving treatment locally," Marengo said. "Each year we donate over 100 toys and make meals for the houses during drop off. We have been blessed to make the impact we can during the holiday season for those families."
 
Marengo has been working with the Ronald McDonald Houses since he was in middle school and wanted to create a new tradition within the High Point men's lacrosse program. Even after a coaching change his sophomore season, Marengo has still made it his mission to keep this going each Christmas season.
 
"I started this drive with no clue what it would become," Marengo said. "I've been involved in helping these families since middle school and to see the efforts everyone has put in to make it what it is today is outstanding."
 
"Ryan Marengo is a true servant leader," HPU Head Coach John Crawley commented. "He has proven by his day-to-day that he will do everything he can to serve the team. Riddled with injuries? He'll find a way to make our sideline better. Our locker room doesn't look perfect? He is the first to clean. He's the last guy off the bus to make sure it's clean. Outside of his unbelievable service towards the community, he has proven that serving is in his DNA. Now, his efforts with the RMH every Christmas season have taken over a lot of our team's community service. He has gone above and beyond to make an impact on the community and has led our team to join him in that impact."
 
Following the holiday season, the Panthers will take to the field for their first game of the season at Navy on January 31 at 12:00 p.m. in Annapolis, Maryland.