The turkey’s finished, the stuffing’s gone and the Black Friday shopping’s all done for the year. What to do next?

How about this: Help stuff something other than a bird.

Three different organizations are planning “stuffing” events during the next couple of weekends, and no turkeys will be harmed in the fulfillment of their goals. In each case, the “stuffing” is toys, and the beneficiaries are area children.

The Suffolk Police Department will encourage citizens to help stuff the police car from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 28. They will be at two locations: the Chick-fil-A at 1018 N. Main St. and the Walmart at 6259 College Drive. Toys collected by the Suffolk Police Department will be given to Toys for Tots.

Next weekend, the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office will collect toys from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 5 at two locations: the North Main Street Walmart and the College Drive Walmart. The toys collected downtown will go to Elephant’s Fork Elementary School, and the toys collected in North Suffolk will go to Creekside Elementary School.

Also on Dec. 5, the Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum will stuff its 1962 red caboose with toys, which will be donated to Toys for Tots. The museum will be open, and Santa will be on hand to help fill the caboose from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Naylor said. Cookies and hot cocoa will be served on the porch, and the gift shop will offer a 10-percent discount on toys that will be stuffed into the caboose.

Maybe you benefitted from some great deals on Black Friday — or maybe you’ve just been overwhelmed by the blessings in your life and want to take advantage of an opportunity to give back. Either way, these toy events are a great way to spread holiday cheer.

Another great way to do that is to support the Suffolk News-Herald’s Cheer Fund, which raises money each year to support Suffolk’s Toys for Tots program. This year’s Cheer Fund goal is $40,000, reflecting the fact that Salvation Army officials expect requests for toy donations to be higher than they’ve been in previous years.

Donations to the Cheer Fund 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.

To contribute to the Cheer Fund, 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.

Whether you donate funds to buy toys or the toys themselves, the season for doing so is upon us. Please help.