Photo by Eric Ayres Deputy Chief Josh Sanders and Det. Brandon Hoen of the Wheeling Police Department, in back from left, helped deliver toys Wednesday at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. Among the recipients was 9-year-old Jeremy Richards, seated at right, accompanied by Chloe Mercer of Glencoe.

WHEELING — A little holiday cheer made its way to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital on Wednesday, when members of the Wheeling Police Department and the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley distributed some of the items collected during a very successful Operation Toy Lift earlier this month.

Many children visiting the hospital on Wednesday received a toy directly from an officer as part of the popular annual program. Nearly 20 huge boxes of toys were collected during the annual holiday drive this year, and two of those massive boxes filled with a heaping holiday bounty were delivered to the hospital on Wednesday.

“It means a lot — especially this year,” said Maddi Seavy, associate director of the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley. “I think it’s been one of the harder years for a lot of families — a lot of our neighbors and people that we care about. So it really means a lot to be able to just provide some of that support and to be thankful for everything you do have.”

Operation Toy Lift is conducted each December through an effort by the Wheeling Police Department, Belmont County Sheriff’s Office and other community partners. A toy drive outside the Ohio Valley Mall features a who’s who of community leaders lifted high into the air on the boom of a bucket truck encouraging the public to get involved by donating items.

“This is the ninth year for Operation Toy Lift,” Seavy said, noting that typically the drive generates around 12 to 15 big boxes of toys, but this year, between 18 to 20 full boxes were collected. “So it’s been a bigger year for sure.”

After the toys are collected, the United Way makes them available to its partner agencies by setting up a store in one of the vacant spaces at the mall.

“We let agencies and nonprofits come shop for their clients,” Seavy said.

And of course, some of the toys are hand-delivered to young patients in the hospital. The stock of toys are kept on hand to distribute to children visiting the hospital in the coming days and throughout the year.

“This is really important for all kids and parents when they come through the hospital doors,” said Jessica Moore, associate vice president of Foundation and Community Relations at WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. “They can be a little bit nervous, and getting greeted by the Wheeling PD with stuffed animals and toys for kids is something that’s really beautiful.”

Moore said that, sometimes, the children are not the only ones who are anxious about the visit to the hospital, and a gift to cheer up a child goes a long way to help make the visit a little more pleasant.

“When kids come in, they might be really nervous about their treatment, and parents can be nervous, too,” Moore noted. “So this is a great way to calm them down, cheer them up and wish them happy holidays.”

On Wednesday, a fleet of police officers — armed with a trove of stuffed animals and various toys in hand — brought smiles to the faces of children in the inpatient and outpatient units of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital.

The stash of toys will be given to young patients visiting the hospital through Christmas, and will be available for patients throughout the year until those boxes of toys are depleted and replenished next year when Operation Toy Lift takes place again.

“Today is an amazing day for the Wheeling Police Department,” said Terry Walls, deputy chief of police for the WPD. “We’re just so grateful to be part of that and to be able to give back to the children who are coming into the hospital. They may have a little anxiety or may be sick, and this just helps give them a little bit of comfort while they’re here getting treated.”

A new member to the Wheeling PD, Walls broke the ice and paid his dues during the Operation Toy Lift event at the mall, going up in the bucket for a 30-minute shift through some frigid temperatures.

“It’s an amazing cause,” Walls said. “I enjoyed every minute of it. To see the members of our community come in and donate so many toys for the children is just really heartfelt and meaningful for the department.”

Events like these not only help brighten the holidays for some area children, they also help build relationships between partner agencies, the police department and members of the community.

“We want to help spread the word about crime prevention, we want people to know our police officers and to make Wheeling a safer place,” Walls said.

For more information about Operation Toy Lift, visit www.unitedwayuov.org.