Hundreds of Suffolk residents, businesses and groups came together this holiday season to make sure children in the city could have a cheerful Christmas.

The Cheer Fund collected $33,265, which helped purchase toys for 4,520 children.

“It was a good campaign this year,” said John Woleben, Suffolk coordinator for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. “The fundraising went well. It was a good year for the kids all around.”

The Suffolk News-Herald, which started the Cheer Fund many years ago, still supports it because employees market the fund and perform the clerical work for it. An independent board administers the program. Every dime, besides a small, annual State Corporation Commission fee, goes to Toys for Tots to buy toys for kids in Suffolk.

The Salvation Army screens families for eligibility, and parents who are approved are able to shop for toys the week before Christmas from among toys that are donated and those purchased from toy wholesalers with the Cheer Fund donations.

Donations to the Cheer Fund are accepted all year long. To give, mail a check to P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439 or bring it to our office, 130 S. Saratoga St., during normal business hours.