So often we consider having electricity in our homes as being used for comfort or convenience purposes – climate control, household appliances, entertainment, and so on. But, what of those who depend on electricity at home for medical purposes? This past month, a widow came to GRACE concerned about her utility bill. She is on a fixed income and has experienced extreme hardship due to recent death of her husband. She also has had many medical issues which she used her monthly income to pay toward including medication needs. These unexpected but necessary costs had caused her to fall behind on bills including her electricity bill. That’s what brought her to GRACE. She is on constant oxygen requiring a machine to run throughout the day and she was afraid that her electricity was about to be cut off. But, because of our corporate partners and generous community, this widow was

GRACE is excited to invite the community to the 2025 GRACE Gala Gifting Party, a special prelude to this year’s GRACE “Angels Among Us” Gala. The event will be held on Wednesday, September 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Crush It! Sports Lounge in Grapevine, promising an evening full of community, celebration, and meaningful giving. Attendees will be treated to flavorful food as the evening kicks off. A variety of games and interactive experiences will add fun to the night, provi welcoming environment of Crush It! Sports Lounge, DFW’s first interactive sports and social lounge. It’s fun and energetic atmosphere makes it the perfect backdrop for a night where generosity meets community spirit. Guests are asked to bring an item valued at $100 or more as their entry to the Gifting Party, helping to build an exciting lineup for the GRACE Gala auction. Over the years, the auctions have

GRACE is proud to welcome Michael Gonzales, CFRE, as its new Director of Community Engagement! Michael brings over 20 years of nonprofit development experience to his role in rounding out the development team where he will lead the efforts in cultivating relationships, communicating impact, and strengthening the volunteer base that makes it possible to achieve GRACE’s mission. “I am excited to join GRACE as it meets the growing need to serve people when they need us the most and the assistance that is provided is a help up as they help themselves to greater self-sufficiency,” Michael said. Michael started his career in the political arena serving as campaign manager to Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger. Michael most recently served as Vice President of Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, and before that with the Dallas Children’s Theater and Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington (now Tarrant County.)

With the kids back in school and 80-degree days on the horizon, it’s time to CELEBRATE all the successes of Summer 2025! GRACE’s Feed Our Kids summer lunch program just completed its 21st year of serving our community! Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers that made this happen. Whether you’re affiliated with a civic or philanthropic organization, a local business, a church, or even just you and your family or friend group…YOU helped served 32,184 lunches over an 11-week period across six different sites in Grapevine! In fact, we counted 6,166 volunteer hours in making this program a success! To say that GRACE wouldn’t be able to do what we do without our amazing volunteers is an understatement! To witness the excitement on the faces of our local children and their families when they arrive for the lunch hour is something special to see. Our volunteers thought about everything!

In honor of the Labor Day holiday, all administrative and program sites will be closing at 3:00 p.m. Friday, and reopening Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. All resale sites will remain open and operating at normal hours. The program and administrative hours will be as follows: Friday, August 29th: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Monday, September 1st: CLOSED Tuesday, September 2nd: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm   For emergency assistance or food, please call 817.602.1204. Have a blessed weekend!

GRACE was founded and established to be a resource for the unexpected, but recently, the stories that have come through our doors are unprecedented. This last month, a mother came to us struggling to care for her youngest son, who had recently been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney cancer at just four years old. He had just had a kidney removed, and the risk of infection due to his condition is high, so, as a Certified Nurse Assistant, she had to resign her position at the hospital to protect her son in his fragile state. This mother had done all she could. She had exhausted her reserves, applied for everything she qualified for, including applying for Social Security income on behalf of her son’s condition, and was awaiting a decision. All she could do was not enough. Rent was due, and her resources were depleted, so she came to GRACE.

We’re thrilled to announce the opening of GRACEful-Buys Outlet, our newest retail space, located inside Donation Station! What began as a small, twice-a-year garage sale has grown into a vital part of the Grapevine community for over 25 years. GRACEful-Buys and Donation Station have continued to thrive thanks to the incredible generosity and support of local donors and shoppers. “We are so blessed to have continuous donations from the community all of these years, that we are now able to expand selling at our Donation Station location,” said Rebecca Cox, GRACE’s CEO. New Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM This exciting expansion will feature a unique selection of items including: · Artwork · Electronics · Sporting goods · Outdoor equipment · And much more! “We are using this as an opportunity to get some of the outside back inside by bringing some of the Backlot from the

GRACE is proud to announce that this year’s Gala Auction Chair is none other than Lynda Warner! Lynda Warner has been a dedicated and passionate volunteer for many years, and her impact can be seen throughout nearly every corner of the GRACE mission. Whether offering her time, ideas, or resources, Lynda has consistently shown up with heart and purpose to help further the reach and success of GRACE programs. Most people know Lynda as the faithful chair of our Designer Bags & Bingo event, held each year on the first Sunday in May. Under her leadership, this event has become one of GRACE’s most beloved and successful events. But this year, she’s stepping into another exciting role—Chair of the GRACE Gala Auction Committee—and we could not be more excited for what lies ahead! Over the years, Lynda has found countless ways to support the mission, whether it’s helping gather donations,

While most services and companies are closed for the 4th of July holiday, we know that the children in our community still depend on us for not only a meal – but for an hour of F-U-N! With a delicious lunch of barbeque sandwiches and all the sides what could complete a meal? Girl Scout cookies! When Feed our Kids received a donation of 13 cases of various cookies earlier in the week, Girl Scout Troop 2773 learned that they were going to be served in GRACE’s first 4th of July Party celebrating the summer lunch program, they asked to join the party. Bringing other members of their troop, they passed out boxes of cookies to those who’ve only heard of Girl Scout Cookies but never had a whole box to themselves. In between the meal and dessert came water balloon fights, sidewalk chalk hopscotch, and a football toss. To

Having the bravery to come to GRACE and ask for help is no easy thing, even for a military veteran. This last month, a single father of three daughters came to GRACE seeking housing assistance and any other assistance GRACE had to offer. Having recently served in the military, he had planned to become a police officer here in Texas, but that plan was now delayed. The mother of his children had left the family and was not helping to support the girls financially. With no other adult now in the home, and with one of his daughters exhibiting symptoms of severe autism, he had no other choice but to put his police academy dreams on hold. Now, having to be the sole provider for his girls by balancing his VA benefits with ride-share and delivery jobs, the strain on his time and resources has been extreme, and he just