Some of the wooden planes made by apprentices at The Carpenter’s Boat Shop. (Courtesy photo)
Lincoln County Toys for Tots volunteers, led by coordinator Lisa Marr, have been hard at work raising funds and awareness and preparing toys for distribution to local parents. The Carpenter’s Boat Shop supported the toy drive by delivering 20 handmade wooden airplanes to the toy drive headquarters at the Huntoon Hill Grange in Wiscasset last weekend.
Service to the community is an essential part of The Carpenter’s Boat Shop’s four-month apprenticeship program. Every fall and every spring a new crew of apprentices comes to live at the boat shop campus in Pemaquid and engage in the daily work of building boats, collective living, and service. As a nonprofit that depends in large part on the support of local individuals and organizations, the boat shop experiences firsthand the value of neighbor helping neighbor. During every session, apprentices and staff work to give back to their community.
Nine months ago in the height of the winter COVID-19 wave, they set up a production line creating fuselages, wings, propellers, and pilots. The wood for the project was all donated by Hancock Lumber, of Damariscotta. The parts were assembled and sanded with help from volunteers, then the finished planes were put into storage until the current holiday season
The apprentices particularly enjoyed making the toys, which they hope will bring at least as much delight to the kids who will play with them.
