The Press Herald Toy Fund received applications for nearly 5,000 children this year. Parents began to pick up gifts this week.

Letters to the charity describe Maine kids facing cancer, major surgeries and long trips for care. The Toy Fund aims to lighten the load for those children and their families.

The Toy Fund will ensure Maine children facing difficult circumstances are able to find some much-needed happiness at the holidays.

The Toy Fund has already received about 1,000 more applications for help with holiday gifts than it did last year, Operations Manager Jeff Ham said.

The charity expects to easily surpass its anticipated demand — toys and books for 4,000 children — amid a flood of letters from Maine parents asking for assistance amid a difficult economy and rising cost of living.