Henry Schein spreads holiday cheer

It's been party time and gift-giving time, and companies big and small on Long Island have been partaking in the merriment.

About 500 children from disadvantaged backgrounds were hosted at the Melville headquarters of Henry Schein Inc., a distributor of dental and medical products, at its annual Holiday Cheer for Children Program held last week.

Henry Schein employees requested the name of a child and what the child wanted for the holidays.

The children's names were given to the company by social service agencies. Employees spent their own money on gifts for the children.

Sharon Collyer, 33, of Huntington, a Henry Schein purchasing manager, has participated in the party for eight years. Employees usually spend between $50 and $100 on gifts. Collyer bought snow pants and a stuffed animal.

"It's a wonderful thing to do," said Collyer. "It's the season for it."