A local youth football organization is seeking donations for new helmets after losing some equipment to a burglary.

“A lot of our kids don’t have the funds to pay for everything,” said Robert Faulk, president of Suffolk Inner City Youth Athletics Inc., which runs the Suffolk Steelers football program. “We try to get donations to help them out.”

Faulk said somebody broke into the building, located at John F. Kennedy Middle School, earlier this month and stole some equipment, which also included pants and shoulder pads.

Faulk said the helmets will cost $80 to $100 each. They buy new helmets every year to replace some that have reached the end of their useful life and others that are not returned by prior players at the end of the year.

Faulk said the organization is about more than just football and cheerleading. Players who are struggling in school receive extra help, and the activity keeps them off the streets, Faulk said.

“A lot of kids come in kind of rough, and when they go back out, they’re not the same,” Faulk said. “Parents say they’re different. The coaches are father figures to some of the kids. They do a lot of stuff with the kids, not only on the field but off, too.”

Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 651, Suffolk, VA 23434.