As families across Maine prepare for a joyous holiday season, many are struggling with opioid addiction, poverty, domestic abuse and other life challenges.
When a child loses a parent to addiction, incarceration or a fatal drug overdose, it’s often the grandparents who step into a caretaking role again.
A woman from Owls Head is raising her 9-year-old grandson because of addiction. She wrote to the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund asking for help providing him with gifts this holiday season. She wrote that he was born addicted to drugs and has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and sensory issues. She also raised a granddaughter, who had disabilities and died in July due to respiratory failure.
“Things have been very hard on us since she died,” she wrote.
The toy fund, now in its 69th year, collects donations from readers to provide toys to thousands of Maine children who might otherwise not receive holiday gifts because of hardships faced by their parents. The fund serves needy families in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Lincoln and Knox counties.
This holiday season, toy fund organizers have seen a record number of requests for gifts for children being raised by their grandparents and relatives.
As of Friday, volunteers had processed applications to provide toys to 2,000 kids. An estimated 20 percent of the applications received were sent by grandparents and relatives raising children that could have otherwise been placed in the state’s child welfare system.
Kathleen Meade, the toy fund’s executive director, said they are requesting assistance for reasons such as opioid addiction, incarceration or neglect.
“Grandparents who thought they were (done) taking care of kids, now suddenly have kids,” Meade said. “It’s a heavy burden when you have coats and boots to buy. Plus they really feel the desire to provide joy for Christmas. That’s where we step in. We are able to help with that.”
A woman from Kittery raising her two granddaughters also wrote to the fund asking for help.
“I’m raising my granddaughters on a fixed income, Social Security, and a small pension,” she wrote. “They get no help from their mother and father. … I would really like some help for their Christmas so they will have a good one.”
Thanks to the toy fund, those girls will have something to smile about on Christmas morning.
A woman from Portland raising her three grandchildren said in a phone interview Friday that the fund helped in her time of need. She considered applying again this year, but decided against it.
“There are other people out there that need it worse than I do,” she said. “Every year is a struggle, especially when you have teenagers. I just try to do the best I can for them. They get all the love they need from me. That’s the most important thing.”
Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:
Twitter: MelanieCreamer
TODAY’S DONATIONS
In loving memory of Kay, from Nancy Baptista $100
Anita Haskell $30
Think of you daily! Love you dad, grampie $200
Happy holidays! May this toy bring hours of joy. $100
Carol and Ken of Topsham $30
Anonymous $1,000
Anonymous $25
In loving memory of David Poirier $20
Maureen Y Fish $100
From Joan Leitzer and Kenneth Spirer in honor of our grandsons $100
In loving memory of Doris Lyons – Gracie & Dick $100
Sandy Johnson and Clint Strout $200
In loving memory of all the Christmas joy! Doris Handy, Anne – Dick Hall, Deb Hall – Clay Graybeal $75
John and Mary Langenbach $100
Susan Hagen $25
In memory of Larry and Aldona Barnes from their niece, Leslie Lawrende $25
Sarah Smith $50
Remembering Mom & Dad, Love, Val $100
Gretchen & O. Ray Stanton $500
Total for year $8,564
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