The sprawling piles of toys and books are gone.
And Jeff Ham is nervous.
The hard-working operations manager of the Press Herald Toy Fund was busy Tuesday in the mostly empty workshop, counting up the remaining bags of gifts and comparing the depleted inventory with lists of families scheduled to make pick ups in the coming days.
“It’s going to be close.”
Ham has been keeping track of the gift list and inventory for weeks after it became clear that the 75-year-old fund was seeing a surge of requests for help from struggling families this year.
Ham quickly got permission from the Toy Fund’s board of directors to exceed the budget and then submitted a second round of toy and book orders.
But, by the application deadline, parents had asked for gifts for more than 4,000 children. The total number last year was a little less than 3,000. And that increased demand is on top of the strain felt because of the increased cost of toys and books over the last several years – the same inflation pressures driving so many families to seek help.
Meanwhile, grateful parents have been arriving at the workshop in South Portland for weeks to pick up the gifts for their children, all of which are purchased with donations from readers. The last pickups are scheduled for this weekend.
No child will be left out. Ham and his army of volunteers will make sure of that, even if it means they have to make some last-minute shopping trips this week.
Meanwhile, the need for donations from readers is as critical as ever.
Donations are slightly behind last year at this time, although it is too early to know if the fundraising will cover the costs of gifts this year or how large the deficit might be.
The Toy Fund will figure that out after every child is served.
TODAY’S DONATIONS:
Anonymous $100
Mark Stodder and Muna Shehadi Sill $100
Kevin and Jane Doyle $500
Anonymous $50.00
So glad to help children in Maine enjoy Christmas Sabra Mumford $100
Molly Morell $500
Patricia Buttner $100
Michael Curci $100
Candace Litchfield $100
In memory of Bill Farrington Cheryl Farrington $100
In memory of Susan J. Stevens. We miss you and love you so much, Dad, Mom, Rick, Eric, Tim Richard and Jean Stevens $100
Edward and Nina Comiskey $100
In memory of Rosie Robert and Margaret Curry $100
James and Elizabeth Maier $50
Diane and Carl Walp $75
Ron and Carol Beyna $100
Anonymous $100
Jon and Marjorie Oxman $100
In loving memory of Fedora Nicol, who loved all children Louise Griffin $50
Jamien Jacobs and Gregg Raymond $200
Gaston Lee $50
Anonymous $500
Anonymous $500
In honor of Clara and Emma Rachel Olson $100
Richard McGoldrick $500
Merry Xmas Carol Poirier and Michelle McClure $50
Anonymous $500
Dick and Andrea Hall $150
Phyllis Libby $50
In the name of the Lachance children, love always, Mom Elsie Foley $150
Thomas Hickey $75
In memory of Deborah Paine The Koster Family $50
Francis and Jean Fox $100
Bruce and Lorraine Hirdler $100
Elaine Biddle $2
Anita and John Colpitts $50
Anonymous $25
Lawrence Clough $50
Anonymous $25
Nancy Caldwell $50
Lois and Paul Berg $200
Merry Christmas to the children, in honor of Ethan and Owen Linda Daley $50
Anonymous $75
Anonymous $30
Alan Willemsen $200
In memory of Tom Fred Haley $50
In memory of Mom, Dad, Robin and Karen Fred Haley $300
Connie and Michael Beck $350
In memory of Beulah Green, Alan Goddard and Norma Coughlin, with love Rhonda and Ron Green $100
In loving memory of Alan Argondizza, from his family Maizie Argondizza $200
Anonymous $50
In memory of my Aunt Frances T. Dooley, who was always so kind and generous to her nephews! John Dooley $400
In honor of Matt Barron Mark Roy $200
For their love of kids … Gram, Papa, Grammy D. and Tom Patricia Axelsen $200
Carole Logan $100
From Cassie, Haylee and Jamison Robert O’Donnell $100
In loving memory of my parents and loving memory of my sister-in-law, Joyce Suzanne Nelson $100
In loving memory of Mom and Dad and sister Joyce Michael Nelson $75
In memory of a mother’s love, GTW Anonymous $150
Tracy Harrington $200
Lynn Bak $950
TOTAL TO DATE: $112,044.60
HOW TO HELP
To make a donation online, go to pressherald.com/toy-fund.
Checks made out to the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund may be mailed to 295 Gannett Drive, South Portland ME 04106.
Names of donors are published in the Press Herald unless a donor wishes to remain anonymous.
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