Volunteer Barbi Diaz of Cape Elizabeth, right, and Jeff Ham, operations manager of the Press Herald Toy Fund, sort toys for the 2024 toy fund at the Press Herald building in South Portland on Wednesday. Michele McDonald/Photo Editor

SOUTH PORTLAND — Volunteers at the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund workshop have been busy for weeks unpacking pallets of toys and books, then filling gift bags that are sent to families in southern and Midcoast Maine.

It’s a labor of love for the organizers, volunteers, and donors who give their time and money each year to ensure children have an enjoyable holiday season. For 75 years, the charity has been using money donated by readers to buy gifts for children of all faiths and backgrounds during the holiday season.

“As we celebrate this milestone, I am grateful to Matthew Barron for his compassion and determination to make the Christmas dreams of the first 911 children who benefited from the fund in 1949 come true,” said Karen Beaudoin, president of the toy fund. panel.

“Seventy-five years after approaching the (Portland) Evening Express with the idea of ​​purchasing toys for children of welfare recipients, the Toy Fund has served tens of thousands of children thanks to thousands of generous donors and hundreds of dedicated volunteers. ”

As Portland’s deputy welfare director in 1949, Barron saw how families were struggling in a tough economy and knew that many children were unlikely to receive Christmas gifts. He enlisted the help of his friend Robert Bruce Beith, then editor of the Portland Evening Express and writer of a local news column. And they came up with a simple plan.

Writing under the pseudonym Bruce Roberts, Beith asked for donations from readers, and Barron used the money to buy toys for children in need. Readers helped them far exceed the $1,000 fundraising goal by donating a total of $3,903.55, plus $500 worth of new toys. Among the gifts the fund purchased that year were 500 dolls, 60 sleds, 100 footballs, 1,500 books and 2,500 mechanical toys. Toys were distributed to 1,500 children.

The Evening Express reported at the time: “Those otherwise faced with a Santa-less Christmas were greeted with joy not only in Portland but also in South Portland, Westbrook, Casco, Scarborough, South Windham, Gorham, Owl’s Head and Wiscasset .” .

Eventually the name Bruce Roberts became synonymous with the annual Toy Fund. When the Evening Express closed in 1990, its sister newspaper, the Portland Press Herald, continued the tradition.

The Toy Fund has provided millions of dollars worth of toys to more than 100,000 children over the past 75 years. Last year, gifts were distributed to 2,619 children, and donors contributed nearly $200,000 to continue the tradition.

Jeff Ham, the charity’s operations manager, said the Toy Fund’s long history “shows that the need never goes away”.

“This fund has a lot of community support that continues year after year,” he said. “We can see this in donors who make it part of the holiday season.”

Thanks to these donors, the fund is in a position to grow and serve more children in need, Beaudoin said. “I think Matthew Barron would be pleased to see what his dream has turned into,” he said.

To help connect with more families who need help, volunteers are helping spread the word in their communities. Toy Fund organizers and the board of directors focused on building new relationships with social service agencies, schools and other groups that play an important role in connecting families to the Toy Fund.

“They have been especially helpful in spreading the word about what we are doing for new Mainers who may not know where to turn for help to make the holiday season more memorable for their children,” Beaudoin said.

Aid applications are open For families from York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Androscoggin counties. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1, and families will be notified at the Press Herald’s South Portland office about when they will receive the toys.

To donate online go to: pressherald.com/toy-fund.

For volunteers like John Voyer, these welcome days and interactions with families are the highlight of the holiday season.

“Obviously when people come in to pick up their toy bags they are very appreciative,” Voyer said.

Copy Story Link