Program Director Amanda Simmons holds a nearly empty box for boys’ size 10 to 12 pajamas inside Maine Children’s Home’s storage area for its Christmas Program. The program is in desperate need of donations of brand new winter boots, jackets, underwear, and socks for kids of all sizes, as well as pajamas sizes 6 to 18 for boys and girls. Submitted photo

WATERVILLE — Maine Children’s Home’s Christmas Program is in need of donations of brand new winter boots, jackets, underwear, and socks for children of all sizes, as well as pajamas sizes 6-18 for boys and girls.

Every year, the winter essentials program provides warm clothing, toys, books, and games to hundreds of children whose families are facing financial hardship.

“By mid-November, we had received and approved applications for more than 1,100 children with an additional 125 children on a waitlist,” said MCH Executive Director Candace Marriner, according to a news release from the Maine Children’s Home. “Right now, our inventory is getting low with 600 more children to pack for.”

To ensure the program serves the families who have already submitted requests for gifts, the program had to close its applications early and put out an urgent call for donations on social media and through direct outreach. The program had been receiving 50 requests per day from families in need before applications were closed on Veterans Day weekend.

“A study by United Way and United with ALICE found that 42% of Maine households struggle to make ends meet to afford basic needs,” said Marriner. “That statistic is exactly why our winter essentials program exists and why we’re committed to fulfilling the requests we have.”

MCH’s winter essentials program is the only one of its kind that provides brand new clothes, toys, books, and family games to Maine children whose families are facing financial hardship. A typical box from the winter essentials program includes:

• An outfit (long sleeve shirt and pants);
• a pair of pajamas;
• seven pairs of underwear (or a package of diapers or pull-ups as needed);
• socks (winter and everyday socks);
• a pair of waterproof (Thinsulate) mittens/gloves;
• winter hat;
• an additional warm item (quilt, blanket, or sweatshirt);
• two books;
• two toys/gifts;
• a game for the family;
• stocking stuffer type items; and
• winter boots and jacket if requested by the family.

Businesses and organizations across the state help with collecting donations for the winter essentials program by signing up to participate in the program’s Giving Tree campaign — a three-month campaign leading up to the winter season. Through this campaign, businesses and organizations sign up for one or more of the following:

• Becoming a host of a donation drive for their employees or community;
• becoming a donation collection site for their area;
• sponsoring a family by donating $500 to $1,000;
• engaging employees to volunteer packing boxes or organizing inventory at Christmas Program;
• by hosting a Giving Tree display — a display of tags for needed items that employees or patrons can take to purchase specific items, or by posting a Giving Tree poster of QR codes for monetary donations.

Businesses interested in participating in supporting MCH’s winter essentials program can email giving@mainechildrenshome.org or call 207-873-4253, ext. 200, for more information.

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