GraceWorks Manger: Supporting Williamson County Families at Christmas
Earlier this month, hundreds of families, volunteers, and community partners came together at Franklin First United Methodist Church for GraceWorks’ annual Manger, one of Williamson County’s longest-running holiday outreach efforts.
Held December 9–12, The Manger provided parents and caregivers the opportunity to select Christmas gifts for their children at no cost. For families navigating financial strain, unexpected change, or a difficult year, the program offered a way to celebrate Christmas with dignity, choice, and support.
Led by GraceWorks Ministries, The Manger marked its 31st year in 2025. What began as a small, church-led effort more than three decades ago has grown into a countywide collaboration that now serves hundreds of households each December.
The event once again transformed the church into a welcoming, store-like space where families could shop, volunteers could assist, and the broader community’s generosity could be put directly into action.
The Beginning of GraceWorks
The Manger is not just GraceWorks’ most visible program. It is also where the organization’s mission began.
“The Manger is actually what GraceWorks was born out of,” said Danielle Kennedy, Church Manager for GraceWorks. “It started 31 years ago when churches and individuals came together to provide Christmas gifts for families in need.”
After the first year, organizers recognized that families who needed help at Christmas were often facing challenges well beyond the holiday season. That realization led to the creation of GraceWorks as a year-round nonprofit serving Williamson County residents facing financial hardship.
Today, GraceWorks provides food assistance, rent and utility help, clothing, and crisis support throughout the year. The Manger remains its largest neighbor-focused program and, in 2025, served more than 1,700 children from nearly 700 households across the county.
Inside The Manger Experience
The Manger took place over four days, with families attending scheduled shopping sessions. The experience was intentionally designed to feel less like a distribution event and more like a traditional shopping trip.
Families registered online through GraceWorks and arrived during assigned time slots. Once inside, parents and caregivers were guided through the shopping space by volunteers stationed by age group.
Parents selected gifts based on their children’s interests, with volunteers available to help locate items, carry bags, or wrap presents if needed. Each child received three gifts, two stocking stuffers, a book, and a family-friendly board game.
In recent years, community generosity has also made it possible for GraceWorks to include coats as part of The Manger. While not guaranteed each year, donated outerwear was available to families based on need and inventory during the 2025 event.
For Kennedy, the defining feature of The Manger is choice.
“For families facing hardship, choice is one of the kindest things we can give,” she said. “This is about empowerment. It’s a dignified experience.”
Some parents shopped on their own, while others brought their children with them. Even when children were aware of the gifts chosen for Christmas, Kennedy said inclusion mattered.
“I told one child, ‘Now you have to tell your brain to forget,’” she said with a laugh. “And they said, ‘Oh, we already forgot.’”
The Families GraceWorks Serves
Williamson County is often associated with strong schools, a growing economy, and overall affluence. Those indicators, however, do not reflect the full picture.
Families who participated in The Manger this year included working parents, long-time county residents, and households navigating job loss, rising housing costs, medical bills, custody changes, or sudden financial emergencies.
GraceWorks refers to the people it serves as “neighbors,” a term that reflects how closely connected these families are to the broader community. They are classmates, coworkers, and familiar faces at school pickup lines, grocery stores, and places of worship.
For many families, participating in The Manger reflected a temporary season of need rather than long-term dependency. GraceWorks views the program as a way to help families preserve stability during a stressful time, allowing parents to focus on their children rather than financial pressure.
“What matters is helping parents celebrate Christmas with their children, no matter what their situation is,” Kennedy said.
Community Support and Growing Need
The Manger’s success depended on months of preparation and a broad network of support.
In early fall, GraceWorks distributed white toy collection boxes to schools, churches, businesses, neighborhoods, and individuals across Williamson County. Community members filled the boxes with new, unwrapped toys, which were collected in early December.
Donations were then sorted by age group by teams of volunteers at a warehouse provided by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office before being transported to Franklin First United Methodist Church, already organized and ready for families.
“It’s a huge community effort,” Kennedy said. “Those boxes represent schools, churches, businesses, neighborhoods, people all over the county choosing to help.”
Franklin First United Methodist Church once again opened its doors to host the event, providing the space necessary to serve families at this scale.
“This church is incredibly generous and hospitable,” Kennedy said. “They essentially hand over their keys for the week so we can serve families.”
More than 600 volunteers supported The Manger during shopping week alone, with hundreds more assisting in the weeks leading up to the event. In total, well over 1,000 volunteers contributed their time this year.
GraceWorks Beyond Christmas
For some families, The Manger was their first point of connection with GraceWorks. Others were already receiving support through the organization’s year-round programs, including a client-choice food pantry, rent and utility assistance, access to clothing and household goods, and student food programs.
While The Manger happens just once a year, GraceWorks continues to serve Williamson County families long after the holiday season ends.
“We want people to feel respected and supported,” Kennedy said. “We want to meet them where they are.”
How to Support GraceWorks
GraceWorks relies on community involvement throughout the year to serve Williamson County families facing difficult times. Support takes many forms, from hosting a toy collection box during the holidays to volunteering with food distribution, sorting donations, or contributing to seasonal programs like The Manger.
In addition to hands-on volunteering, individuals, schools, churches, and businesses can get involved with GraceWorks by organizing drives, contributing financially, or helping raise awareness of available resources for families in need. These efforts help ensure the organization can continue responding to both short-term emergencies and ongoing challenges throughout the year.
To learn more about the organization’s broader impact, read GraceWorks Ministries: Neighbor Serving Neighbor in Williamson County, TN, or visit the GraceWorks website.
