NORTHAMPTON — Each year, the R.K. Finn Ryan Road School donates a portion of their Sunshine Fund to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, with hopes of brightening the holiday season for children and families in need.

“We have a lot of children here who might not have the means to have any kind of Christmas,” said Cheryl Michon, the school’s senior clerk, who has been managing the Sunshine Fund for more than 10 years. “It’s tradition, and it’s a great way to give back a little.”

The Sunshine Fund has existed since before Michon’s time at the school and was created to support staff members when they find themselves in need. The school’s staff donates to the fund every year, so that when one of them has a family loss, medical emergency or any situation “where they would need a little sunshine in their life,” their colleagues can offer them a gift card or some other token of support, Michon said.

Aside from supporting school staff, the Sunshine Fund’s only external donation every year is to the Toy Fund. Michon said that the Toy Fund gives the school an opportunity to give back to the community and support families who don’t have the means to celebrate the holidays in the ways they wish to.

Michon noted that some families at R.K. Finn Ryan Road School have seen benefits from such charitable programs, making the Toy Fund a very personal cause for the school.

“I hope they keep doing it long after I’m gone,” said Michon, who is finishing up her last year at the school before retiring.

Named after a former business manager at the Gazette, the Toy Fund began in 1933 to help families in need during the Depression.

Today, the fund distributes vouchers worth $50 to qualifying families for each child from age 1 to 14.

The Gazette absorbs all the administrative costs of the drive, collecting applications and mailing vouchers out to eligible families. Applications are received by local community outreach organizations including the United Way and Community Action Pioneer Valley.

To be eligible for the Toy Fund, families must live in any Hampshire County community except Ware or in the southern Franklin County towns of Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Shutesbury and Leverett or in Holyoke in Hampden County.

Donations can be made by mailing them to the Gazette at P.O. Box 299, Northampton 01061, or by using the online portal found at toyfund.gazettenet.com. As donations come in, the Gazette publishes donors’ names in the way they request.

The following stores are participating this year: A2Z Science and Learning Store, 57 King St., Northampton; Blue Marble/Little Blue, 150 Main St., Level 1, Northampton; High Five Books, 141 N. Main St., Florence; The Toy Box, 201 N. Pleasant St., Amherst; Comics N More, 64 Cottage St., Easthampton; Once Upon A Child,1458 Riverdale St., West Springfield; Plato’s Closet, 1472 Riverdale St., West Springfield; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, 227 Russell St., Hadley; Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., Village Commons, South Hadley; The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 W. Bay Road, Amherst; World Eye Bookshop, 134 Main St., Greenfield; Holyoke Sporting Goods Co., and 1584 Dwight St. No. 1, Holyoke.

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.