Christmas came a few days early for some families on Monday.

Staff from Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority made the rounds to all of Suffolk’s public housing apartments on Monday, delivering hundreds of donated toys to parents with young children.

“This is such a blessing for us,” Parker Riddick Village resident Rose Frazer said. She has three boys: Amintae Edmundson, 11, Alijah Frazer, 3 and 1-month-old Amanuel Frazer. “This definitely make a difference for their Christmas.”

Roughly 150 women lined up outside the rental office of Parker-Riddick Village, waiting for the doors to open. Inside, toys — dolls, strollers, basketballs, stuffed animals and dozens of Transformers — were stacked on four tables in age-appropriate order.

The SRHA officially launched the program, “Christmas is for Kids,” last year, according to Sybil Bullock, the SRHA’s housing operations director said. Residents said there have been similar programs in past years.

The SRHA collected more than 800 toys this year, more than double the 300 donated last year, Bullock said. A church, Suffolk Christian Center, individuals and business sponsors collected most of the toys on behalf of the SRHA, she said.

SRHA staff and members of the authority’s Board of Commissioners also donated toys, Bullock said. Everything was donated or bought with contributions earmarked for the initiative; no public funding was used for the program, she said.

On Monday, SRHA’s “toy-mobile” made similar stops at two other public housing apartment complexes, Colander Bishop Meadows and Hoffler Apartments. The organization will be at the Isle of Wight Department of Social Services distributing toys to families there who receive Section 8 housing vouchers.

Residents made quick work of selecting their stashes of toys. After everyone had picked one toy per child, parents could come through the line a second time to get additional toys as needed, Bullock said.

“Everyone needs different things,” she said. “People can pick up things until they are gone.”

They also gave away one bicycle at each apartment complex, Bullock said. Parents with older children, ages 10 to 16, dropped a ticket in a bowl when they arrived. Before the giveaway wrapped up, a winner was randomly selected from each complex.

The SRHA’s program can be a big help to families who might otherwise struggle to give Christmas gifts to their children, Bullock said.

Mother and daughter Virginia and Latoya Knight walked out with several toys each for Latoya’s 4-year-old son, Taquan Knight, and her nephew, Marcus Knight, 5.

“It certainly lightens the load,” Virginia Knight said.

After the toy distribution, Victory Gospel Chapel — a Chesapeake-based church — handed out food to families. The church has adopted the Parker-Riddick community and comes with food from 2 to 4 p.m. on Mondays.