Hundreds of Maine parents are filling out applications this month in hopes that the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund can provide holiday presents – and joy – for their children.

One of them is a 28-year-old Army veteran working hard to start a new life with her 2-year-old son. Her application arrived Nov. 9.

She enlisted at 21 and then spent two years in uniform, working as a wheeled-vehicle mechanic at Fort Hood in Texas. She had learned the basics while working on cars with her father.

But an injury sustained during training, combined with the toll of working with heavy parts and equipment, left her partly disabled and forced her to change careers.

She is now a single mother in the midcoast relying mostly on military benefits to pay rent, care for her son and go to school to learn a new trade. She is two years into a bachelor’s degree in business and finance.

“I have enough to pay all of my bills and keep my son in diapers … bathroom supplies and food, but there’s not a lot of extra,” she said.

She is the sole provider for her family and is relying on fixed income of about $890 a month. And she worries that her son is losing out as she struggles to regain independence.

“It’s been tough making ends meet in general and trying to make sure I’m not taking time away from my son but still getting to all of my classes. I am literally doing this on my own. It’s just me and him.”

The Portland Press Herald Toy Fund in the Spirit of Bruce Roberts is helping her and other struggling parents by using donations from readers to provide toys to thousands of Maine children who might otherwise not receive holiday gifts.

The fund – now in its 67th year – is accepting applications for toys from needy families in Cumberland, York, Sagadahoc, Lincoln and Knox counties. Applications can be downloaded at pressheraldtoyfund.org or picked up at the Welcome Center desk on the fifth floor of One City Center in Portland.

Call 791-6672 to have one mailed to you.

Donations to help buy the toys can be made on the website or by writing checks to the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund and mailing them to the fund at P.O. Box 7310, Portland, ME 04112.

For more information, go to: pressheraldtoyfund.org.

See more stories about the fund at pressherald.com.

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