Many parents joined their children for St. Andrew Preschool’s Donuts for Dads on Wednesday. They sat with their kids as they learned days of the week, played with toys and enjoyed fresh baked goodies.

But dozens of the children had fathers that couldn’t make it to the annual celebration. Most of these parents are active-duty military and deployed, while others were stuck at work.

So 10 Suffolk Police Department officers came to the school to spend time with these kids, along with various church members and Brandon Rodeman, co-owner of Fut5ol indoor soccer on Bowen Parkway, who holds classes for the kids.

“It makes our kids feel like they’re part of a great community that cares about them,” St. Andrew Preschool co-director Carol Carnegie said.

Officer James Brooks helped 5-year-old Nicolas Ford build a garage made with a rainbow of colored, plastic bricks. The boy topped off their creation with a policeman figurine.

“I love it,” Brooks said.

Nicolas and his sister Gracie, 4, were able to bring their father, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Ford. He also has Adam, 7, and Gemma, 8, and just finished a four- to five-week tour among four different continents.

“Military kids don’t always get those opportunities to spend time with their parents, but we take advantage whenever we can,” Ford said.

The guests sat with the children as they played doughnut tic-tac-toe and made doughnut ties proudly worn by the adults.

Carrollton resident Kim Thomsen held 18-month-old Jakob as she watched her daughter Alice, 5, draw and color. Her husband, Karl, is a 26-year Navy serviceman on active duty.

“It’s a tough adjustment for everybody,” Thomsen said about the time apart.

Alice has her “Daddy Doll” for when her father is away. Each of these plush “hero dolls” has the photo-likeness of the child’s parent to make the time apart easier for that child.

“When my daddy is out to sea, I like to cuddle with him and talk with him,” Alice said. “It makes me feel better.”

Brooks wore a doughnut-emblazoned tie made by Alyssa Ruthart, 5. He’s the father of a 3-year-old and is expecting another in the near future, he said.

“You don’t know how awesome kids are until you become a parent yourself,” he said.

Everyone got to pick from one of the delicious doughnuts of wildly different frostings and flavors. Alyssa simply grabbed one because of the color.

“Pink is my favorite color,” she said.

Each of the tables had a sign that thanked the service of both those present and those serving abroad, adding “we donut know what we’d do without you.”