“Dear brothers and sisters of the Migrant Relief Fund;

“My family agreed to forgo Christmas gifts this year so we all are contributing money to help you meet some of your expenses.

“May each of you sense God’s loving presence with you this Christmas season and through your com-ing year.

“With love, joy and hope,

“Evangeline J. Hoffman.”

– . –

The letter by the Hoffman family of Waterville was one of many that was received by Peoples Heritage Bank, where the Migrant Relief Fund was established, and passed along to Carla Picard, the Caribou woman who set up the fund.

In the months after it was established, the fund collected $89,450. Fourteen checks for $5,900 went to the families of the 14 foreign workers who died, and another check for $6,850 was written out for the sole survivor. He received $950 more than the victims’ families because of a donation that was made espe-cially for him by the Presque Isle Congregational Church.

The fund remains open, according to Picard, and any additional funds will be distributed to the survi-vor and the families of the victims.

Contributions to the Migrant Relief Fund may be sent to Peoples Heritage Bank, P.O. Box 607, Caribou 04736