WATERVILLE — The Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers, on Silver Street, is busy collecting, sorting and folding donations of clothes and toys for more than 1,700 needy children statewide during its annual Christmas program.

“It’s a lot of necessary things like warm clothes and coats and boots and pajamas,” the home’s executive director, Richard Dorian, said Monday.

The home had just received proceeds from the Sukeforth Family Festival of Trees, which raises money for that charity and two others, and Dorian said the contribution helps tremendously, especially with items the home might be running low on.

“We still have current needs, but this makes it so it’s not a crisis,” Dorian said of the donation.

The Children’s Home collects items all year round for its Christmas program, which relies on volunteers and donations. The home opens the application process for the benefit the first week of November and must close it before December, Dorian said.

The program distributes boxes of clothing and gifts so each child typically gets two sets of hats and mittens, pajamas, an outfit of clothing, a coloring-activity book, crayons or markers, two toys and a game for a family to share. Items accepted for donation must be new, in their original packaging, and unwrapped.

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Dorian said the home always is in need of older children’s clothing up to the age of 12, as many donors like to purchase cute clothing for infants and smaller children.

The most urgently needed items are warm mittens; boys’ pajamas, sizes 7, 12, 14 and 16; boys’ outfits, sizes 3T, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 16; boys’ slim and husky pants, in all sizes; girls’ pajamas, sizes 7, 8, 12, 14, and 16; girls’ outfits, sizes 16-plus; girls’ slim pants, all sizes; winter boots, all sizes; and Pokemon, Paw Patrol and LOL Dolls toys.

Donations may be dropped off at the Development Building on the home’s campus at 93 Silver St. The times for dropoff are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon Friday.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17


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