For many years, too many to remember, Nanone and Richmond Knight donated to the Press Herald Toy Fund in memory of family members who died.
While she can’t remember when the tradition started, Nanone Knight does remember why.
“One of my friends, when she got divorced and had young kids, she made use of that fund,” Nanone Knight said. “And I just think it’s a wonderful thing for a lot of kids.”
Generations of the Knight family have supported community programs and charities, and Nanone and Richmond added the toy fund to their list of charitable donations.
Like many newspaper readers who support the fund, the Knights donated in the memory of loved ones whom they listed on a note with their check. Seeing the names of lost parents and siblings printed in the newspaper each year has been a nice way to help the children and to honor their family members, she said.
This year, however, the list of family members had a few more names, including Richmond’s. “In memory of Richmond, John, Lorena and William Knight; Marie, Gayle and Red Crapser, Diana Grindle and Hale Moreau,” Nanone Knight wrote in a note attached to her $100 check.
“We added to our list this year,” said Nanone, who lives in Westbrook. Her husband, she explained, got sick and died in September at the age of 77.
Richmond Knight graduated from Deering High School in 1960 and spent 30 years in the Maine Army National Guard, retiring in 1989 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He worked for 35 years for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, retiring in 1995. His wife said the loss is hard, but he was blessed to enjoy so many years of retirement.
Nanone Knight said honoring her husband by carrying on their toy fund tradition is important to her, especially now that his name is on her list.
“I hope that I can continue it.”
• THE PRESS HERALD TOY FUND in the Spirit of Bruce Roberts uses 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. Now in its 70th year, the fund is accepting applications for toys from needy families in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Lincoln and Knox counties.
• DONATIONS to help buy the toys can be made at pressheraldtoyfund.org or by writing checks to the Portland Press Herald Toy Fund and mailing them to the fund at P.O. Box 7310, Portland, ME 04112.
• FOR MORE INFORMATION, call 791-6672 or go to: pressheraldtoyfund.org.
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.