Get ready for the 4th Annual GRACE Designer Bags & Bingo! Mark your calendars for May 5th at the Westin Dallas Southlake for an incredible night of designer handbags, bingo, and giving back! This beloved event benefits GRACE’s Transitional Housing program, helping families and individuals get back on their feet. With the support of our amazing volunteers, we are pulling out all the stops! Prepare to be wowed by our legendary Parade of Purses (sponsored by Allen Wealth Advisors), featuring jaw-dropping designer bags from Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, Christian Louboutin, and more! Behind every incredible designer bag stands one of our illustrious designer bag sponsors: Methodist Southlake Hospital, White’s Chapel Methodist Church Women, Decision Financial, Pegasus Logistics, Skylife Wellness, Corinthian Wellness Spa, and Ryan Davis Media. And the fun doesn’t stop there! Get ready for 10 heart-pounding rounds of designer bag bingo which include an epic blackout round sponsored by

To many social service professionals, the Pandemic was as an unprecedented time of need for emergency assistance. Many families who had never experienced navigating a support system to provide for the basic needs of their family were forced to reach out…to a system with which they were unfamiliar. At the same time, an even larger number of families who had been experiencing poverty…some for generations…also needed great assistance as they all tried to find their way through a very difficult time. The need was so great, yet most thought at some point we would return to a time with less need across all economic levels. Speaking to most social service professionals today might surprise many as the need has continued to climb as food prices, housing costs, medical costs, utility costs etc. have risen to a point where many families cannot meet their basic needs. GRACE is among those service

The show has ended and the crowds have headed home, but just like Rock and Roll, our love for our Volunteers will never die! The set list for this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon consisted of good food, rockin’ music, and great friends. And— as always— our volunteers showed up and showed out! We had a blast celebrating all of our volunteers! Congratulations to all of the winners— see the lineup below! VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR LDS Churches of North Tarrant County Emergency Assistance Dean Hawks Donation Station Coppell ISD Adult Vocational Program GRACEful Buys Euless Mike Richardson GRACEful Buys Grapevine Joe Koenig Clothing Room Margaret Ellis Food Pantry Brent Blake Community Clinic Nikita Kennedy Friends & Family Ann Mammen Transitional Housing Monica Huber & Treva Donnely | Faith & Finance Program Board Member Robert Warner Development Lynda Warner Special Events Cassandra Clements Seasonal Programs Robert Alonzo Community Garden Edie Miller

Area steel fabricator James Irwin and his family visited GRACE Donation Station on Wednesday, April 17, to commemorate the corner of Lee’s Avenue and Jackson’s Way. Lee’s Avenue is named after Stella Lee Irwin, James’ spouse, who passed away last year. Jackson’s Way is named after Jackson Paige, James’ grandson, who was called to the Lord’s side at a young age. Attending the ceremony with James was Jackson’s mother Jessica Battaglia and her children. Other family members included Amy and Jason Brothers, James’ daughter and son-in-law, and their children, and James’ son Bryan Irwin, his wife Jennifer and some of their children as well as other family and friends.

GRACE is thrilled to announce a new facet of partnership between ourselves and Tarrant County Homelessness Coalition (TCHC)! Founded in 1989, TCHC is known for its incredibly impactful work assisting the unhoused. GRACE has utilized training and resources provided by TCHC to educate staff and offer assistance to struggling families. However, this new facet comes in the form of funding! GRACE has been selected as a recipient of the recent Day 1 Funding Grant facilitated by TCHC, and we’re thrilled! This funding will allow us to continue to meet the rising need of our clients for affordable housing.

In March, GRACE was able to step into the story of a single father of two young girls who had never asked for help before but, after experiencing a sudden job loss, needed GRACE. As a Veteran, he had VA benefits, but they were not enough to sustain the cost of living for him and his girls. The life savings he had been using to fill the gaps while looking for work were swiftly depleting. Enter GRACE. After meeting with a GRACE Care Manager, this single dad shared that even though he immediately began searching for another job in November, the job market had been difficult for his particular field and he had yet to find a new position. Our care manager was able to help review his situation in full, prioritize greatest areas of need, and, ultimately, GRACE was able to assist with rent, utilities and provide him with