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Bruce Roberts Toy Fund



The Bruce Roberts Toy Fund, a non-profit corporation, was established 61 years ago - in 1949 - as a newspaper-run charity to assure that needy Maine children received toys during the holiday season. Six decades later, it has grown into a powerful community asset with a strong reputation for helping those in need.


From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the fund solicits money from the newspaper’s readership primarily though daily stories about recipients, donors and volunteers. These public donations are used to purchase new, safe, age appropriate toys for needy children in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln and Knox counties. Although originally conceived as a Christmas toy fund, the mission of the fund was broadened several years ago to include all faiths. The spirit of giving and sharing remains intact. During the 2009 holiday season, 3,450 applications were received from Maine families in need. This led to 7,940 children receiving gifts.


Each year, at least 100 volunteers work to ensure that children are served. Each volunteer has a story to tell of why they are committed to the endeavor. The fund does accept donations all year long with recognition in the paper reserved for November to early January. The donors also have stories to tell – many speak of receiving toys from the fund when they were young, others let us know that they have requested assistance in the past.


The Toy Fund continues the original mission as conceived in 1949.



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