RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond community has come together to extend a helping hand to those in need this Christmas.
The 2023 Salvation Army Christmas Center opened Tuesday morning inside the former Dick's Sporting Goods building at Stony Point Fashion Park in South Richmond.
"Seeing the magic come together today is so special," Sara Moncrieff, the community relations coordinator for Puritan Cleaners, said. "You have different programs all housed in one building. This was an abandoned warehouse a couple of weeks ago. Today, it's full of joy, it's full of Christmas magic, and it's full of people who genuinely care about each other."
Moncrieff has worked for Puritan Cleaners for 17 years.
She and her team spent weeks collecting thousands of "Coats for Kids" and adults in need.
She said she still gets emotional talking about the impact the coats have on families.
"I'm feeling overwhelmed," Moncrieff said with tears in her eyes. "I'm feeling the love from Richmond. Our community shows up every year."
This year, Puritan cleaners collected more than 17,000 coats of all sizes for Central Virginia families.
From jackets to stockings, and even gifts and bicycles, families enter the Christmas Center with nothing but leave with their hands full of everything they need to bring the holiday cheer to children.
"It's a blessing for me," Jolisa Witherspoon, a mother of five, said. "You don't really come into events like this, but it's always a blessing to come across something like this, to give back to the kids."
Witherspoon said, like many others, she has struggled financially this year. She said the Salvation Army’s Christmas Center has taken some of the burden off of her shoulders.
"It's a struggle, but for the most part I'm maintaining, and this helping me out a whole lot," she explained.
Witherspoon left Tuesday's giveaway with new coats and toys for her children, and her youngest daughter will have a bicycle under the tree Christmas morning.
"I mean, it's truly amazing. I totally appreciate everybody, like this is truly a blessing," said Witherspoon.
Throughout the rest of the week, families who signed up for assistance will pick up their coats and gifts at a preassigned time.
While parents said the presents will have to wait until Christmas, with freezing temperatures across the state, the coats will be put to use right away.
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