The stories of those who rely on the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund are ones of poverty and hardship - but also of hope.

The applications for assistance reveal small details that hint at larger difficulties faced by single parents, struggling college students, grandparents and new immigrants. Despite their troubles, though, they share a common goal - to provide for children for the holidays.

"Dad has cancer - is getting sicker - family in dire financial situation," reads the application from an Easthampton mother with three children ages 10 and under, all of whom were born premature and have special needs.

In Northampton, an anonymous writer submitted a letter of application on behalf of a disabled, 52-year-old man who shares custody of his 13-year-old son. The man receives $700 per month in Social Security benefits and pays $120 of that in child support.

"He is a devoted father who struggles in many ways and would benefit from financial help to help him give a holiday gift to his son," the letter reads.

The stories told by these people in their applications for help are at the heart of the Gazette-sponsored Toy Fund, which marks its 79th year this holiday season. Families in need apply through the nonprofit agency Berkshire Children and Families, which processes applications and verifies eligibility. The program is open to residents of all Hampshire Counties except Ware, and also to residents of Deerfield, Sunderland, Leverett, Shutesbury and Whately.

The Gazette covers all other administrative costs of the program freeing up all donations from the community to go entirely towards covering the cost of the vouchers awarded. The program gives eligible families $40 vouchers redeemable at participating local stores for each child from age 1 to 14. This year, the fund aims to raise $75,000 to cover the cost of roughly 1,800 vouchers.

"There is this sense of desperation this year and people don't know where else to go other than this toy fund," said Cathy Lawlor, a volunteer who, along with Carol Varsano, have been processing the toy fund applications and taking calls from struggling families over the phone.

The majority of the hundreds of applications are filled out by the mothers of young children, many of whom are single and have four, five or even six children. But it is not only mothers who seek financial assistance.

"We've been seeing more and more single fathers over the years," Lawlor said.

Among them is a single father in Amherst with six children under his wing, including a 1-year-old, one application reveals.

Across the Connecticut River, in Florence, a single mother relies on food stamps, fuel assistance, and the state's health insurance to care for her six children: a 13-year-old daughter and five boys ages 10 and under, including 3-year-old twins.

In Hadley, a jobless woman whose husband died, said she and her children, a 6-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl, rely on $650 per month in death and unemployment benefits, food stamps and fuel assistance to get by. Meanwhile, in neighboring Belchertown, a grandmother who is related to them, cares for another family member's two children because their mother, who suffered a brain aneurism, cannot do so.

The circumstances of families seeking Toy Fund vouchers are as varied as they are sorrowful.

In Easthampton, a mother writes for toy fund vouchers because her husband is leaving for his second six-month military deployment in a year. In the same city, a single mother with three children has just had extended elderly family move into her home, further increasing her financial burden.

Despite the emotional and financial stress in their lives, many show gratitude for the Toy Fund, leaving notes and letters with their applications, or through an occasional phone call.

This year, one grandmother who has an 8-year-old granddaughter and adopted 11-year-old boy, drew a smiley face with a Santa hat on the back of her Toy Fund application with the simple words: "Thank You."

The following stores are participating this year: A2Z Science and Learning Store, 57 King St., Northampton; Deals & Steals, 76 Pleasant St., Northampton; Faces, 175 Main St., Northampton; F.J. Rogers, 3 Main St., Florence; Peebles Dept. Store, 2 College Highway, Southampton; JCPenney, 341 Russell St., Hadley; Mountain Goat, 189 Main St., Northampton; Target, Route 9, Hadley; The Toy Box, 201 North Pleasant St., Amherst; and Wilson's Department Store, 258 Main St., Greenfield.

Donations to the Toy Fund may be dropped off at or mailed to the Daily Hampshire Gazette at 115 Conz St. in Northampton, 01060, or Gazette offices at 67 Main St., Easthampton, or 9 East Pleasant St., Amherst.

Donations may also be made through Gazettenet at www.gazettenet.com. Checks should be made payable to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund.