Volunteer Barbi Diaz, of Cape Elizabeth, right, and Jeff Ham, operations manager of the Press Herald Toy Fund, sort toys on Wednesday for the 2024 toy fund at the Press Herald building in South Portland. Michele McDonald/Photo Editor
SOUTH PORTLAND — For weeks, volunteers inside the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund workshop have been busy unpacking pallets of toys and books, then filling bags of gifts headed for families across southern and Midcoast Maine.
It is a labor of love for the organizers, volunteers and donors who each year give their time and money to make sure children experience a joyful holiday season. For 75 years, the charity has used money donated by readers to buy gifts for children of all faiths and backgrounds during the holiday season.
“As we celebrate this milestone, I’m grateful to Matthew Barron for having the compassion and determination to make Christmas dreams a reality for the first 911 children to benefit from the fund back in 1949,” said Karen Beaudoin, president of the toy fund board.
“Seventy-five years after he approached the (Portland) Evening Express with his idea to buy toys for the children of families on welfare, the Toy Fund has served tens of thousands of children thanks to thousands of generous donors and hundreds of dedicated volunteers.”
Barron, who was Portland’s assistant welfare director in 1949, saw how families were struggling in a difficult economy and knew many children were not likely to get Christmas gifts. He sought the help of his friend, Robert Bruce Beith, who at the time was editor of the Portland Evening Express and author of a local news column. And they came up with a simple plan.
Beith, writing under the pseudonym Bruce Roberts, asked readers for donations and Barron used the money to buy toys for needy children. Readers helped them far surpass their fundraising goal of $1,000 by donating a total of $3,903.55, plus $500 worth of new toys. Gifts purchased by the fund that year included 500 dolls, 60 sleds, 100 footballs, 1,500 books and 2,500 mechanical toys. Toys were distributed to 1,500 children.
“Those facing what otherwise would have been a Santa-less Christmas were brought cheer not only in Portland but also in South Portland, Westbrook, Casco, Scarborough, South Windham, Gorham, Owl’s Head and Wiscasset,” the Evening Express reported at the time.
Eventually, the name Bruce Roberts became synonymous with the annual Toy Fund. When the Evening Express closed in 1990, its sister paper, the Portland Press Herald, kept the tradition going.
Over the last 75 years, the Toy Fund has provided millions of dollars worth of toys to more than 100,000 children. Last year, gifts were distributed to 2,619 children and donors contributed nearly $200,000 to keep the tradition going.
The long history of the Toy Fund “shows the need never goes away,” said Jeff Ham, the charity’s operations manager.
“This fund has a lot of community support that goes on year after year,” he said. “We can see that in the donors who make it part part of their holiday season.”
Because of those donors, the fund is in a position to grow and serve more children in need, Beaudoin said. “I think Matthew Barron would be pleased to see what his dream has become,” she said.
To help connect with more families who need help, volunteers have been helping spread the word in their communities. And the Toy Fund organizers and board have focused on forming new relationships with social service agencies, schools and other groups that play a crucial role in helping families connect with the Toy Fund.
“They’ve been especially helpful in spreading the word about what we do for new Mainers, who may not know where to turn for help to make the holiday season more memorable for their children,” Beaudoin said.
Applications for help are now open for families from York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Androscoggin counties. The deadline to apply is Dec. 1 and families will be notified of when to pick up toys at the Press Herald’s South Portland office.
To make a donation online, go to pressherald.com/toy-fund.
For volunteers like John Voyer, those pickup days and their interactions with families are a highlight of the holiday season.
“It’s obvious when people show up to get their toy bags that they’re very appreciative,” Voyer said.
