There’s something wonderful happening this week down at the end of Bank Street.

Generosity has been unleashed, compassion has been allowed to flourish and hearts have been unlocked. In the process, lives have been touched, joy has been increased and the spirit of Christmas has been released.

Throughout the week, volunteers have joined staff at the Salvation Army Suffolk Corps for a magical week of work that is one of the most expectantly awaited gigs of the year: toy shopping.

More than 1,250 families will have been blessed by the time the annual Toys for Tots toy distribution is complete. Each of those families will receive at least three toys per child, along with a few smaller items — all in an attempt to ensure that no child in Suffolk wakes up Christmas morning without gifts. Accounting for families with multiple children and judging from history, 5,000 or more children in Suffolk and the immediately surrounding area will be helped by the Toys for Tots program this year.

But it’s clear with each passing season that the real blessings are for those who volunteer in the program. Helping to distribute the toys is one of the great ways to enjoy those blessings directly and personally. Folks who volunteer to help as toy shoppers often describe the joy they feel when they help, for instance, a single mother who otherwise would not have been able to provide toys for her children.

But there’s joy, and there are blessings, in making the whole program possible, too. Folks throughout Suffolk have been experiencing the rewards of philanthropy all season, as they’ve been filling boxes with toys for distribution, dropping coins in kettles and writing checks to the Cheer Fund.

The checks are especially helpful, as they fund the purchase of the toys that will be distributed. Even the best prices members of the public can find are usually much higher than the ones toy wholesalers offer to Suffolk’s Toys for Tots coordinator, so the money raised by the Suffolk News-Herald’s Cheer Fund, which is used to purchase those toys, can be leveraged for thousands of toys under trees around Suffolk each year.

There’s still time to help. To donate to the Cheer Fund, send a check to P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439 or bring it to our office, 130 S. Saratoga St., from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We will list your donation in the newspaper, but it can be marked “anonymous” if you like. Donations may be made in honor of or in memory of someone. If you bring the check to our office, we’ll even take your picture as you hand it to one of our staff.

For more information on the Cheer Fund, call 934-9616.