More than 1,000 toys are bringing joy to disadvantaged homes this Christmas thanks to the Toys for Tots programme.

The Coalition for the Protection of Children thanked individual and corporate donors.

A spokeswoman for the Coalition said: “Once again, the community has demonstrated the true spirit of holiday cheer by giving to families who need support during this time.”

The toys were given to families involved with the Coalition, as well as to those who are clients of other helping organisations.

Distribution was handled by the Department of Child and Family Services, Family Centre, the Salvation Army, Open your Heart Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Hundreds of families will get cause to smile as a result of the programme and with the assistance of donors HSBC, the Coalition will hand out hampers to 126 families.

The hampers include a turkey voucher and gift certificate for $50 of groceries.

The Coalition said the island’s social and economic conditions were still fragile and many local families struggled to cover basic needs.

The spokeswoman said: “Through the kindness of the community, we are grateful that we are able to provide support to those who are experiencing hardship.”