Thanks to $25,000 worth of donated materials, along with help from some contractors, a new cabin will be built at Camp Allen, the summer residential and day camp on Sandy Pond enjoyed by children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities.

The staff hopes to have the new winterized, handicapped-accessible double cabin, which will accommodate 28 campers, open in the summer.

“I’m very excited,” said Mary Constance, the camp’s executive director. Materials are being donated by Home Depot, whose help was obtained by Stephen T. Marcouillier, a member of the camp’s building committee and a former member of its board of directors. Marcouillier is organizing a team of contractors who are donating their time or providing their service at reduced costs to build the new facility. “I need good contractors to come in, even it’s for only a (few) hours,” he said.

Home Depot agreed to donate the materials after Marcouillier persistently asked the building supply company for its help.

Last fall, several company employees came out to see the camp.

“They got very excited about the idea of building this double cabin,” Constance said. “So Steve’s been working with them the past year. He made it happen for us. We’re really grateful to Home Depot, too.”

To accommodate the new building, a maintenance shed was knocked down and a staff building was moved. Groundbreaking for the new 3,800- square foot cabin occurred last week, and the foundation is being poured this week.

Marcouillier, a contractor from Manchester, wants the building up before snow falls.

“He’s sort of a guardian angel watching out for our camp,” Constance said. “When he sees a need, he just makes it happen.”

To open the new cabin, however, the camp will need $150,000 to $200,000 to cover the expense of a cistern and other fire safety costs, plumbing and electrical work, and a new septic system for the camp. Constance said whether or not the cabin opens for the summer will depend on if the camp can raise the money.

“If anyone would like to make a donation, we’re very open to that,” she said. “We don’t want a closed building sitting there.”

The camp is 79 years old and showing its age. The staff plans to eventually replace many of its buildings. Some were donated by other camps. Some buildings lack bathrooms.

“They’ve fallen victim to time,” Marcouillier said. “Everything there around them is crumbling.”

Twice, the camp was considered for the television show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which travels to communities and features a home being rebuilt. However, the camp didn’t make the final cut either time.

“Their mission is one family at a time, and our mission is hundreds of families a summer,” Constance said.

The camp is located on nearly 60 acres of woodlands and fields. During recent summers, the camp has drawn about 600 participants who enjoy an old-fashioned camping experience that includes swimming, fishing, boating, arts and crafts, dance, music and more.

Staff members, who come from around the world, include professionals in physical therapy, special education, therapeutic recreation, social work and related fields. They work with campers on a one-on- one or one-on-two basis.

Staying at Camp Allen is an experience that participants remember and cherish, according to the camp, and the new friendships, skills, knowledge and attitudes they develop empower them to take on new challenges.

“They love coming here,” Constance said. “We want to keep that campy kind of feeling but give them a safer, more accessible environment to sleep in and dine in.”