JAMES CITY — At its start, Grove Christian Outreach Center operated out of the back of one pickup truck. By 2004, the center had become an official nonprofit but still had only a single-wide trailer at the front of a mobile home park.
Twenty years later, the outreach center occupies a 6,000-square-foot building on Pocahontas Trail and has dramatically grown its service area and programs. Once focused solely on the Grove community of James City County, the center now serves people from all over JCC and Williamsburg, as well as portions of upper Newport News and York County.
Next week, the center will kick off its 20th anniversary celebration with an event to support an even wider regional initiative: Give Local 757, an annual online fundraiser that benefits charitable organizations across Hampton Roads.
“We’ve expanded so much simply because the need is great,” said Robin Wootton, the center’s development manager. “We try to think holistically about all the ways we can help improve our community’s overall health and help people feel connected.”
Give Local 757, run by the Peninsula Community Foundation, is part of that larger picture. The drive has raised nearly $11 million since 2014, which the outreach center will highlight along with its own mission during an April 23 celebration at Precarious Beer Project in Williamsburg.
“Even a small donation can have a profound impact,” Michael Monteith, the Peninsula Community Foundation’s chief executive officer, said in a news release. “Together, we can amplify our support and make a real difference for those who need it most.”
Grove Christian Outreach Center offers a wide range of programs for children, adults and seniors, serving a total of 31,901 people in 2023. Free resources include food, clothing, toiletries, diapers and bus tickets; financial assistance, school readiness programs and literacy tutoring; art classes, reading activities and Bingo games; and school supply and holiday gift giveaways.
Several of those initiatives started during or shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, funded by new grants and donations. Since 2021, for example, the center’s food pantry has stocked not only nonperishable items but also fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy, meats and ready-to-eat meals from partners such as Trader Joe’s, Food Lion and KelRae Farm in Toano.
The center’s fresh food room is set up like a market, allowing people to select healthy items that they enjoy and are unlikely to waste. Shoppers also can request canned goods and toiletries by circling them on a list.
Bita Pagan, a Grove resident and mother of five, often chooses apples, bananas, peaches and chicken for her family. Pagan, 31, is a trained phlebotomist — a blood draw specialist — who currently is staying home to raise her children, ages 4 months to 10 years.
“Grocery prices have gone up like crazy like everything, and this helps me give the kids things to stay healthy,” she said. “It’s not just food that other people don’t want, or that’s basically about to expire, which feels good.”
This past Christmas, Pagan’s kids picked out toys and craft sets; she also has used a clothing closet with sizes for babies, kids and early teens. The center carries some adult items but largely partners with FISH Inc., a Williamsburg-area nonprofit, to serve that population. And every spring, local high school students can find prom dresses and suits at the center.
The year-round Supporting Our Seniors effort provides minor external and internal home repairs such as replacing damaged carpet, putting in new light bulbs and fixing small leaks. Last summer, the center partnered with the James City County Fire Department to check for working smoke detectors at area homes, particularly in mobile home parks.
And Grove Christian Outreach Center is still evolving. Next week marks the debut of Grove Gallery, an exhibition space where local artists can share their work and life stories. The center also hopes to form more program partnerships with schools, libraries, social services agencies and fellow nonprofits.
“Our area is growing quickly, especially James City County,” Wootton said. “We need to consider longer-range needs as much as possible.”
Grove residents, meanwhile, are happy to have the center just minutes from their homes. Pagan recently dropped her older kids off for an art class taught by a student from William & Mary while she shopped in the fresh food room.
“People here do their best to get to know us and listen to our ideas,” she said. “If they can’t help with something, they will try and find someone who can. They care.”
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What’s happening next week
Grove Christian Outreach Center’s celebration party for Give Local 757 (givelocal757.org) will run from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Precarious Beer Project, 110 S. Henry St. The free event will include door prizes, quarters for arcade games and a live tally of donations for the annual fundraising drive.
The center also will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at its own headquarters, 8800 Pocahontas Trail, to highlight its programs, resources and volunteer opportunities. A grand opening reception for its new art gallery will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Visit groveoutreach.com for more information.
Alison Johnson, ajohnsondp@yahoo.com
