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 […]

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 […]

Most applications for help from the Press Herald Toy Fund come from a parent. Some are submitted by grandparents who find themselves struggling to care for young children again. A few requests come from older siblings thrust into the role of parent and trying to give younger brothers and sisters a sense of normalcy at […]