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  • Published
    December 8, 2023

    Westbrook to host menorah lighting Sunday

    Westbrook replaced a decoration depicting the Star of David, a historic symbol of the Jewish faith, with a lighted dreidel image following a complaint from a member of the local Arab American community.

  • Published
    December 8, 2023

    Happy memories of family and Christmas inspire big gift to Toy Fund

    Christmas was a happy time in the Askin household. “Mom and dad were always very much into the decorations,” said Stephen Askin, a retired veterinarian in Kennebunk. “Christmas music would be playing in the background.” His parents, Joan and Ronald Askin, also kept the holiday going longer than most, Stephen remembers. “They always kept the […]

  • Published
    December 7, 2023

    Meet Mary, an ‘indispensable’ force behind the Toy Fund

    From the moment she steps into the Press Herald Toy Fund Workshop in South Portland, Mary Cavallaro doesn’t stop moving. She greets other volunteers, tracks down needed supplies, bags gifts and checks on lists of recipients. She does it all with a smile on her face. The annual work of the Toy Fund to provide […]

  • Published
    December 6, 2023

    Dolly Parton and Gov. Janet Mills highlight free-books program for Maine children

    Maine is working with Parton’s Imagination Library literacy initiative to expand the program across the state.

  • Published
    December 6, 2023

    Toy Fund shifts into high gear

    The army of volunteers behind the Press Herald Toy Fund has been busy for weeks, unpacking, sorting and repackaging toys and books that fill the South Portland workshop. On Tuesday, a cheerful group of volunteers took on a task that is a perennial favorite at the workshop and a sign that the annual gift drive […]

  • Published
    December 5, 2023

    Family overcomes homelessness, needs help at the holidays

    A family in southern Maine has much to celebrate this holiday season. “We just moved into our place from being homeless and living in a hotel,” a single mother of two young children wrote to the Press Herald Toy Fund. “We are really thankful.” Escaping homelessness is no small feat, especially in the midst of […]

  • Published
    December 3, 2023

    Epidemic of homelessness reflected in surge of letters to Toy Fund

    The steep rise in homelessness in Maine and across the country is reflected in a surge of heart-wrenching requests for help this year from parents.

  • Published
    December 2, 2023

    ‘The boys have only me.’ Toy Fund answers pleas from single parents

    Single parents raising children by themselves have been helped by the Press Herald Toy Fund for generations. This year, rising costs of housing, high energy bills and a shortage of child care are pushing many single parents over the edge. “I am going though a lot financially,” wrote a mother of a 2-year-old son and […]

  • Published
    December 1, 2023

    Credit agency gives Maine ‘positive’ rating

    Fitch Ratings upgrades the state’s fiscal outlook from stable to positive.

  • Published
    December 1, 2023

    MaineHealth names new regional president to oversee hospitals in Portland, Biddeford

    Britt Crewse, a hospital executive in Mississippi, will oversee Maine Medical Center in Portland and Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford.