The toys have been handed out and the numbers tallied, and Cheer Fund donors can rest in the knowledge that their generosity helped provide a merry Christmas in 1,011 households this year.

Salvation Army Capt. Shauntrice Anthony said that many families were helped by the Salvation Army’s Christmas assistance this year, which included the toy distribution funded by the Cheer Fund.

About 2,319 children were included in those families. Almost 14,000 toys were distributed.

The Suffolk News-Herald Cheer Fund collects money each year to fund the purchase of toys, leaving Salvation Army funds for other critical community assistance.

“As a board, we are grateful for the citizens and businesses that contributed to ensure no child in Suffolk had Christmas without toys,” said Frank Rawls, the president of the independent board that oversees the Cheer Fund.

The Cheer Fund currently totals nearly $37,000.

Rawls noted that the Cheer Fund receives donations year-round.

“We encourage people who considered contributing and didn’t get around to it and are considering contributing now — it’s not too late,” Rawls said.

To give, write a check payable to the Cheer Fund and mail it to P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439, or stop by our office at 130 S. Saratoga St. Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cheer Fund donations are printed in the Suffolk News-Herald and can be made in honor of or in memory of a loved one. The donor can be listed anonymously if he chooses. The donor can also have his photograph taken giving the check to be published in the newspaper.

Online giving is also available. To give using a credit or debit card or your PayPal account, click “Donate Here” at the top of our home page, www.suffolknewsherald.com.