Donations Needed For ME Children’s Home Christmas Program

Donations are needed quickly for the Christmas Program through the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers.

Christmas may be weeks away, but the Maine Children's Home in Waterville says time is running out for their holiday program. This year's Christmas program will serve more than 1,800 kids statewide, and so the volunteer elves need substantial time to sort through the donations, put the gift boxes together, and get them delivered before the holiday.

Unlike many other programs that provide a gift to each child, this program provides a box full of gifts. Each box typically contains a pair of mittens, Thinsulate gloves, a hat, a book to read, a coloring/activity book, crayons or markers, a large toy, a small toy, a family game, and a warm outfit. That's a lot of stuff when you factor in how many of those boxes they're going to hand out!

In order to get the boxes put together and delivered on-time, several donations are desperately needed. The most urgent needs include complete outfits in sizes 0 through 16 for boys and girls, especially size 3 for boys and sizes 8 through 16 for both boys and girls. Warm pajamas are also needed for boy and girls in sizes 6 through 16. A full list of Christmas Program donations needs is available on the organization's website.

New, unwrapped donations can be dropped off at the following locations:

• The Development office at the Maine Children's Home, 93 Silver Street, Waterville
• Nancy Marshall Communications, 151 Capitol Street, Augusta
• Mainely Tubs, 415 Paine Road, Scarborough
• Ampersand Dance Academy, 293 Water Street, Gardiner