MARQUETTE — The Salvation Army of Marquette County provided The Mining Journal with updated Cheer Club totals this week.

Cheer Club is the Journal’s annual toy drive, which collects new and unwrapped gifts to be donated to local children and families in need during the holiday season.

Beginning on Black Friday each year and running through Christmas Eve, gifts collected through Cheer Club are distributed through The Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul of Marquette.

Along with approximately 1,067 toys that The Salvation Army distributed through Cheer Club, the campaign also collected $10,731 in monetary donations through The Salvation Army.

“This is an incredible effort from the community, mainly due to the presence that The Mining Journal has put into getting the word out,” said Salvation Army Capt. Doug Winters.

Monetary donation totals included over $5,000 in cash and checks, $250 in gift cards and a $5,000 donation from from the Kaufman Foundation.

The items donated through Cheer Club the most this year were hats, gloves, socks and other winter clothing items at a total of 320 donations, and 128 stocking stuffers were also donated.

Following that were 109 teddy bears from Northern Michigan University’s drive-by Teddy Bear Toss, 67 games, 43 new clothing items, and 35 books.

Bicycles were also a popular donation item this year, in part due to a generous Cheer Club donation from Marthaler Automotive of Marquette, who donated 22 children’s bikes as part of the dealership’s yearly tradition of giving back.

In all, The Salvation Army received and distributed 31 bicycles, 29 of which were donated through Cheer Club.

“I want to be clear that it’s the community that makes this happen,” Winters said in a previous Mining Journal article. “It’s the organization from the Cheer Club that makes this happen. It’s the volunteers that we have to make this happen. We’re excited to be that focal point where people trust us to make sure toys get into the hands of the most needy kids in our community.

“We’re thrilled with the generosity of the community. The number of toys we received through Cheer Club were outstanding. So many good went to kids who really needed them this Christmas.”

St. Vincent de Paul was unable to calculate its total Cheer Club numbers, but thanked the community for their support of children and families in need.

The Mining Journal thanks everyone who donated through Cheer Club this holiday season, and is looking forward to a normal program again next Christmas.