A nationally recognized program supported by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that gives toys away to needy children at Christmas suffered a major setback in Maine last weekend when a snow-covered roof over a warehouse in Biddeford collapsed.

Leo Menard, coordinator for the Northern York County Toys for Tots program, fears that toys, books and memorabilia donated by singer Taylor Swift were destroyed when the weight of snow on a roof section of a warehouse in the Biddeford Industrial Park caved in Sunday afternoon. The items were valued at up to $20,000.

The hole in the metal roof is only 20 by 80 feet, but the area that suffered the most damage happened to be where Toys for Tots stored toys and donated gifts on pallets. The warehouse is about 60,000 square feet.

“The roof just buckled,” Menard explained Tuesday. “The snow accumulated in one spot and it got to the point where it couldn’t take it anymore. It just collapsed.”

He said that “the roof and girders are hanging from the ceiling like strings of spaghetti.”

After the collapse, the city of Biddeford condemned the building at 18 Morin St. Menard and his volunteers have been unable to gain access to assess the damage, but he guesses that more than a dozen pallets containing donated and surplus toys from the last holiday season were crushed under the weight of the snow.

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Toys for Tots, a nonprofit organization, collects donated toys and buys toys on sale after Christmas and throughout the year. Each holiday season, parents who can’t afford to buy Christmas presents are given the opportunity to shop for a limited number of toys, at no charge, for their children.

The Morin Street warehouse is owned by Marty Grohman, a Biddeford businessman and newly elected Democratic state representative.

Grohman has been consulting with a structural engineer and the city’s inspection department. He hopes to be able to regain access to the building by the end of the week.

“It’s like a large doughnut hole in the roof,” Grohman said.

Last Fall, Grohman donated space in his warehouse to the Northern York County Toys for Tots program. His building is insured, but his coverage plan will not pay for the loss of the toys.

“It’s an unfortunate incident. Hopefully, the community will get involved and help them out,” Grohman said. “The toys are buried under snow. They are probably toast.”

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The Northern York County Toys for Tots program is supported by the Saco Bay Rotary Club as a community service project. Though the program does buy some toys, the majority of its items are donated.

The northern chapter served more than 1,400 children in 2014 in Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Lyman, Arundel, Dayton, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Limington, Buxton and Hollis.

“I don’t know where we are going to get the money to replace all the stuff lost,” Menard said.

Donations may be sent to: Saco Toys for Tots, P.O. Box 235, Saco, Maine, 04072. Questions can be addressed to Menard at lmenard@maine.rr.com.

 


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