RICHMOND, Va. β For Sheretta Williams, this holiday season brings multiple challenges. The Richmond mother is navigating both grief and financial stress during what should be a time of celebration.
"This time of year is kind of sad, because I lost my mother and grandmother, so I don't have that, you know, cooking," Williams said.
While battling grief, Williams also worries about the cost of food. She says events like the Thanksgiving Give Back provide much-needed relief for families like hers.
"It feels good to be able to fellowship with the community," Williams said. "It really makes me happy because, you know, sometimes the resource is not available for children."
The two-day event was organized by three nonprofits: The All Equals Project, The Trust Project and Good Money Giveback. All three organizations are led by young men from the Richmond community.
Tommy Williams helped bring the idea to life almost seven years ago.
"Every year just feels a little bit better than the last year," Williams said.
Despite uncertainty about volunteer turnout, Williams was pleased with community participation.
"Going in today was definitely a question mark, just knowing how many people we were going to have, how many volunteers we would have, with people working and stuff. So seeing the turnout was just great," Williams said.
Day one took place outside Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Richmond. Volunteers and numerous small businesses donated to provide free meals, canned goods, clothing, haircuts and more to anyone in need.
"Having a fresh haircut and a fresh outfit, that kind of completes the entire Thanksgiving vibe I think every family deserves," said Brent Royal with Good Money Give Back.
Royal views the outreach as an opportunity to bring people together like family.
"I think the most beautiful thing we kind of do is inspire people to come together," Royal said. "God bless me to be in the position I am now. So with that being said, I just want to make sure I continue to do exactly what I feel like I've been brought here to do."
Growing demand led organizers to add a second day this year. Williams says the need extends beyond the homeless community.
"Yeah, times are really tough and not just for our homeless community it's for all the community, everybody's in need right now and whatever resources they need right now we want to be able to allocate to them," Williams said.
The organizers hope their compassion creates lasting impact in the community.
"We look forward to this every single year, the day before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving morning, making sure we kind of start the day off right by giving back to the people that need it," Royal said.
Williams has ambitious plans for future expansion.
"I'm hoping for this, five days of events in the next couple of years," Williams said.
The second day of the event offers the same resources and starts at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day at 1223 N 25th St.
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