Team members simply knock on doors and ask for donations. Once they explain it’s for the Toy Fund volunteers, the answer is always yes.

We knew there had to be a story behind the donation. But we had no idea it would be so heartwarming.

The Press Herald Toy Fund uses donations from readers to buy toys and books for thousands of Maine children in need each holiday season.

The Press Herald Toy Fund understands how important it is for a child to simply experience joy. It has been in the joy business since 1949. But sometimes it can seem like providing gifts for the holidays is the least we can do. Parents who write to the Toy Fund often say how important it […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]