Today is “Giving Tuesday,” a day set aside to give to charity as a salve for the crass consumerism of Black Friday and the deal-scoring online frenzy of Cyber Monday.

The holiday season, after all, is meant to be one of giving to others. But that seems to have gotten lost in recent years, as retail giants push to get as much market share as possible.

Giving Tuesday is a time to remember the causes that are important to you and use your blessings to make an impact on those who are less fortunate. Whether your favorite cause is children, animals, the elderly, educational, environmental or whatever else, pretty much everyone can find a way to be charitable on Giving Tuesday.

If you haven’t yet donated to a favorite charity for Giving Tuesday, we’d like to encourage you to sit down right now, go to your computer or your checkbook and donate to the Suffolk Cheer Fund.

The Cheer Fund spends tens of thousands of dollars every year purchasing toys for thousands of Suffolk children. The toys are distributed by the Salvation Army to parents who come in and purchase toys for their children, and there’s no better way to make an impact in Suffolk on Christmas morning.

This year, you can even donate without spending any extra money, just by using Amazon Smile.

Whether you’re finding that perfect quirky gift because Amazon has everything, grabbing the toy your kid is demanding online that all the stores have sold out or even just getting a little gift for yourself, part of your purchase will go to the Cheer Fund if you select us as your charity through Amazon Smile. Use smile.amazon.com/ch/54-1274973.

You can also visit the Suffolk Cheer Fund on Facebook to find an online giving link.

If you’d like to donate the regular way, here are the details below.

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 photo as you hand it to one of our staff.

For more information on the Cheer Fund, call 934-9609.