COBHAM, Va. (WVIR) -The first “Harvest of Love” celebration at St. John Family Life and Fitness Center brought families, alumni, and longtime neighbors together Saturday, November 15, for a Thanksgiving meal and holiday support.
The gathering opened with a message of generosity and purpose.
“When you think about sowing seeds of love, and when those seeds of love grow out it gives you a Harvest of Love,” said Penny Hawkins, Leading Lady of St. John Baptist Church.
The event offered a full Thanksgiving meal and gift card assistance for households that registered ahead of time. Organizers said the combination was meant to help families prepare for the season in a way that fit their individual needs.
“We are just thankful to God first of all… that we can give thanks and be a blessing to others,” Hawkins said.
For many attendees, it was also a chance to spend the day with relatives and friends.
“Today I am looking forward to sitting down, eating a good meal and hanging with the family,” said Cobham resident Orlando Johnson, whose mother attended the former Rosenwald school.
The center sits inside a building with deep meaning for the community. Long before it hosted events, it served as an all-Black school with only two classrooms, no running water, and an outdoor bathroom. Several alumni returned to the building for the first time in years.
“It started out as a school… it was not inclusive of everyone, but now that is what we want to change,” said Board President Rebecca Kinney.
Kinney said the experiences families carried through those early years continue to influence how the community moves forward today.
“We want to keep alive how resilient we have been and how we have persevered under obstacles and that things are not easy all the time,” she said.
As families picked up meals and gift cards, Kinney said the goal remained to strengthen connections that last well beyond the holiday season.
“We want that unity to continue, that sense of family and being connected to one another.”
The center plans to continue “Harvest of Love” each year, calling it a meaningful way to support the Cobham community during the holidays.
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