The Suffolk Sheriff’s Office will hold its annual “Operation Helping Hands” toy drive on Saturday, and the sheriff’s office is once again asking shoppers to help local children have a brighter Christmas.

The toy drive will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Suffolk Walmart stores in downtown Suffolk, 1200 N. Main St., and North Suffolk, 6259 College Drive. Sheriff’s deputies and other volunteers will be at the entrance of both Walmart stores to collect toy donations.

These toys will be distributed on the following Monday by faculty at Elephant’s Fork and Kilby Shores elementary schools to children that need them the most.

All donations must be new, unwrapped and for kindergarten through fifth grade age levels, and also “school appropriate” — meaning no toy guns or other weapons of any kind, according to Katie Jones, community engagement coordinator for the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office.

Jones emphasized how dedicated the Suffolk community has been in supporting the toy drive in years past, and that the expectations are once again high for this year’s donations.

“The citizens of Suffolk, and really the surrounding areas, have never let us down,” Jones said. “It just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and we appreciate all their support. Nobody wants to see a child without a gift for Christmas.”

The “Operation Helping Hands” toy drive will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Walmart stores in downtown and North Suffolk.

For those that wish to drop off toy donations at the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office on North Main Street, call Katie Jones at 514-7840 to make an appointment.