JAMES CITY COUNTY — Grove Christian Outreach Center transformed its building into a full “Christmas Extravaganza” on Thursday, welcoming local families for a day of gifts, activities, and support meant to bring “a little bit of extra sparkle in the holiday season” for those facing hardship.
The annual event, now in its seventh year, is one of the nonprofit’s largest undertakings, a community tradition built on care, dignity, and an unwavering commitment to local families.
The organization serves families year-round through programs ranging from clothing closets and school readiness support to Williamsburg’s first free grocery market, which opened in 2024.
“Our mission includes serving vulnerable families with dignity and care, and ensuring that when families are facing difficult circumstances, that we have the tangible items to respond to those needs, as well as doing it in a way that supports the overall well-being of an individual,” said Executive Director Katie Patrick.
Each December, staff and volunteers completely transform the center into what Katie calls a Christmas Wonderland. Families move through toy rooms, book stations and craft areas, selecting items tailored to their children.
“We completely transformed our space into a Christmas Wonderland for the kids,” she said. “They come through. We have different stations for each age group.”
James City County Parks and Recreation provided hot cocoa and cookies, while Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted families throughout the day.
“There’s stuffed animals all throughout the building. They can take stuffed animals, there’s books,” Katie said. “Kiwanis Club gives every child their own book, and then there’s another book station at the end by other volunteers that are very passionate about making sure that children have books to read.”
One of the most meaningful additions in recent years has been the brand-new pajamas gifted to every child.
“Families that are facing hard times, pajamas isn’t the first thing they buy at the store for their kids,” said Katie.
For staff, the day is rewarding, but often emotional. Katie described the first family that walked through the doors that morning.
“Mom hugged me, just gave me the biggest Christmas hug, and said, you have no idea how much this means to our family, and I know I can be really hard sometimes, but you guys mean so much to us and to the family,” she recalled.
The Grove community, she said, is “a vibrant community” with a long history but also significant unmet needs.
“Historically, Grove is one of the most underserved communities of the James City County-Williamsburg area,” she said. With roughly 700 of the county’s 900 mobile homes located in Grove, “mobile home living typically is an indicator of poverty,” she added.
Though Grove Christian Outreach Center was originally founded to serve that neighborhood, rising demand led them to expand their services.
“I made the decision, we weren’t founded to keep food on this side of the walls, and so we can’t just turn people away,” Katie said. “We’ve been serving greater Williamsburg for a couple of years now. The number of people that we’ve served has increased drastically, and the community has supported us.”
Even during the center’s upcoming two-week winter break from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2, staff refused to leave families without support.
“The first week that we’re closed, we’ve actually invited the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank up to the Grove community, and they’re going to do a mobile drive-thru distribution,” Katie said. The following Tuesday at the center, “my senior staff and I are going to come in with some volunteers and do a drive-thru distribution that day.”
Katie shared what she hopes the community remembers beyond the holiday season.
“The needs of families struggling are great. Grove Christian Outreach Center is just one nonprofit in the greater Williamsburg community doing a lot of really tough work to provide for families,” she said. “We appreciate, and we couldn’t do it without the support that we’ve received throughout the year. We all do better when we lift each other up and celebrate each other.”