WILLIAMSBURG — The holiday season is bringing renewed attention to growing food insecurity needs in the Williamsburg area, as local community partners work to make a difference for families across the Peninsula.
Grove Christian Outreach Center has been a fixture in the Williamsburg community for years. In recent years, the organization launched The Gathering Place — the first and only free grocery market in the area — serving Williamsburg, James City County, and Upper York County.
"It's always a need. There's going to be somebody, a family, a senior within the community that needs help specific to food insecurity, and that's what this was designed to combat," said Matthew Pollino, Development Manager at Grove Christian Outreach Center.
The impact of The Gathering Place has been significant.
"In 2025, we served 1,067 households, close to 3,800 individuals, and had about 11,000 visits just to here," Pollino said.
This weekend, Grove Christian Outreach Center and the James City County Police Department are partnering to relaunch the Stuff the Cruiser food drive.
"You never know who needs help," said Officer Kayla Foster of the James City County Police Department.
The drive will collect canned goods, boxed items, and other non-perishable food donations, which will then be returned directly to the community.
"We're going to fill it up with canned food, boxes, any non-perishable food items, and we're going to give it back to our community," Foster said.
For those who benefit from The Gathering Place, donations like these go a long way.
"All you want to do is make sure that they're getting everything that they need, and places like this provide it," Pollino said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Click here to see how we use AI at WTKR News 3.
