Mechanic Falls is a merry little town as Christmas nears.
By Emily Tuttle
Special to the Sun Journal

MECHANIC FALLS – Characters like Dr. Seuss’ Grinch and Charles Dickens’ Scrooge can’t be found in this town.

Everyone – town officials, school teachers, civic organizations, churches and people just wanting to help – have caught the Christmas spirit in Mechanic Falls.

In the middle of all of this good cheer is Town Clerk Shirley Marquis, equipped with sticky notes, high-lighters and legal pads.

Marquis noted which gifts needed batteries and which bags needed tags as she directed several volunteers during a marathon gift-wrapping session Monday morning.

Cookies and hot chocolate were laid out for helpers, and Christmas CDs were kept playing in the Vineyard Christian Fellowship church, which donated space due to the Town Office’s ongoing renovation.

The town clerk’s efforts started 13 years ago when families called the Town Office looking for food donations around Thanksgiving time. Marquis, at the time a deputy clerk, said she and the previous town clerk wanted to help meet local needs.

The town had a Needy Children’s Trust Fund that hadn’t been used much. Each year, the town allots some of the interest to provide winter necessity items for local children, so that seemed a place to start, said Marquis. This year, the town budgeted $300 from the fund to be used for Christmas presents restricted to winter necessities such as boots, gloves and coats.

Then other calls came from people looking for places to donate gifts and money.

Several town businesses, such as Auburn Manufacturing, Inc., and organizations, such as the American Legion, wanted to donate money and adopt families. Individuals not affiliated with a group wanted to contribute. Even out-of-town groups, such as Caps for Kids run by an Auburn woman, started to bring in items. Marquis started matching up the calls and has since shopped every year for dozens of families and thousands of dollars worth of items.

“I’m a good shopper,” said Marquis. “I’m a single mom, and I know how to find good deals.”

As Marquis checked off her list of requests for 30 children, she noted that teachers at Mechanic Falls elementary school had already called to make sure that they did not have a duplicate Christmas list so that more children could benefit from the town’s generosity. Also, several local churches provide gifts and food to residents. Marquis said she couldn’t even guess how many families will receive gifts and food this year.

Other townspeople, who volunteered for the first time this year, agreed that the town’s donations made them feel like they belonged to a giving community. They also wanted to be part of that giving. Melody Needham showed up Monday to donate three new sleds and ended up staying several hours to help wrap presents.

Lucy Cyr, originally from Lewiston, raised four children in Connecticut before she and her husband retired and returned to Maine.

“I remember one year how organizations helped my family when my four kids were young,” Cyr said. “Without them, there would have been no Christmas. Now I have the time and a little extra money so that I can help out.”

Each family on the town’s Santa list will receive presents for their children and gift certificates to Future Foods in Mechanic Falls. Marquis will personally call the families to let them know that their Christmas packages are ready to be picked up by noon Wednesday.

In past years, some families never made it to the town office to collect their packages, so local police loaded up their cruisers and delivered the donations, Marquis said.

Co-workers Sheila Gray and Lisa Prevost do extra duty in the town office each year so that Marquis has a couple of days to shop and wrap.

“Everyone gets involved in some way,” Marquis said.

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