WATERVILLE, Maine - Today the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers, based in Waterville, Maine announced the results from their annual Christmas Program that donates clothing and toys to underprivileged Maine children during
the holiday season. This year, with the support of many local businesses and individuals the organization packaged and distributed 1,562 boxes for Maine children ranging from Sanford to Presque Isle.
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| (left to right): Development assistant, Devon Pooler and program director Cristen Sawyer help coordinate the program that provides toys and clothes to over 1,500 children in Maine. |
For over 35 years, the program has provided new toys, books, games and clothing to underprivileged boys and girls throughout Maine.
"I am very grateful for all the support we received from all the individuals and businesses that pitched in this year; it was a real team effort. I think the most rewarding part for me and anyone who donated is to know that their gift often makes a difference in the life of a child in what their Christmas morning will be like," said Cristen Sawyer, Christmas program director at the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers.
In October, the program, led by over 300 volunteers come together and work diligently to start matching clothing and gifts for the children in need. Each child then receives a large box full of clothing and toys that match their particular age group. The boxes are transported to the Augusta or Waterville Armory for pick up.
The program wouldn't be possible without the thousands of donations from individuals and local businesses. This year, the program had support from 45 businesses, churches, schools and organizations that helped donate gifts with giving trees or toy drives. The largest donations came from the New Balance Foundation that provided the agency with a grant to cover overhead costs for the Christmas Program totaling upwards of $26,000. The Huhtamaki packaging company provided the boxes for all the clothes and toys and local Barnes & Noble locations asked every customer to donate a new book to the program that resulted in over 20 boxes of books for the children.
The Christmas Program is also made possible thanks to the ongoing support of the Maine Army National Guard and the transportation of gifts this year was donated by students at Thomas College in Waterville.
To be eligible for the program families must meet state income guidelines, agree not to accept Christmas assistance from any other organization unless it is food, be the parent or legal guardian of the children for which they are applying, apply for children 12 or under, provide social security numbers for each income-earning individual in the household, provide their annual gross household income and any food stamps or child support received and be willing to provide proof of income.
To donate to The Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers Christmas program or to volunteer, contact Cristen Sawyer at 207-872-0261.
Representatives of the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers are available for interviews about the Christmas Program. To arrange, contact Greg Glynn at 207-623-4177. |
