If you are passionate about helping families overcome hardship through financial education, VITA is facing a crucial need for volunteers in various capacities for the new tax season. Tax Preparers, Intake Specialists, and Interpreters help families with the process, and no volunteer is liable for errors. No prior qualification is required, and each volunteer receives ample training. In fact, a staff person will be present at all times. Last year volunteers helped families discover over $150,000 in Earned Income Credit and over $43,000 in Child Tax Credit. This effort supports GRACE’s mission to restore financial stability for families by helping them accrue a healthy savings account. Volunteers will serve at GRACE Main, 610 Shady Brook Drive. In addition, an informational session will be held at GRACE Main on December 13 from 4:30-5:30pm to discuss various service opportunities available. RSVP to volunteer@GRACEGrapevine.org Sign Up Here Tarrant County, Complete Steps 1 -4

Santa’s helpers typically pose questions as to what to get on behalf of children and families at Christmas Cottage. We’ve put together a list in order of age to give you some inspiration! Aside for the new, unwrapped toys that will go under the trees for 1,600 children and 2,700 family members, the Christmas Cottage is always in need of tape, wrapping paper, batteries, and cookies to go the families. Are you an Amazon Prime member, here’s Amazon’s Top 100 Toy list this Christmas  CHILDREN Disney Princess / Moana (NEW) Dolls of Color / Newer Baby Dolls Easy Bake Ovens Science Kits / Science Toys Dinosaur Anything Infant Toys / FP Little People Lego Sets All Type/ Lego Mine craft Red Wagons Marvel /Action Figure Toys Hot Wheel Track Sets Lion King / Angry Birds/ Stork Arts & Craft Kits Baby Alive Board Games, Pie in the face Cars &

The Southlake Depot partnered with GRACE’s Friends & Family program, which provides provisions, companionship, and support to isolated, disabled or immobile seniors in the community. The team was charged with selecting worthy Grapevine residents who needed improvements on their home. Willie and her husband, Vietnam veteran Ronald O’Guinn, call Grapevine home, but in recent months their house has been more of a burden than a home. The two have faced incredible hardship after a stroke left Ronald unable to speak, along with emotional and physical ramifications that left a long lapse in home repairs. The Home Depot Foundation collaborates with local organizations to identify families of honorably discharged veterans or individuals in need of home repair or other construction services, so the Southlake team set out to find a deserving family to share their resources with. The Southlake staff completed maintenance work to the entire home, including fixing the front

The City of Grapevine and Keep Grapevine Beautiful are hosting an event to collect recyclables. While the service is free to Grapevine residents, citizens are encouraged to bring at least one canned or dry food item to help replenish stock at the GRACE Food Pantry. Toys on behalf of the Santa Cop program will also be accepted, and educational demonstrations and giveaways will also take place, courtesy of Keep Grapevine Beautiful. This isn’t only a great way to support local programs that give back to local families facing hardship, it’s an ideal time to shred those boxes of paper, or get rid of those pesky ink cartridges, old cell phones or packing peanuts that have made their home in your garage. (Find the complete list of accepted items here.) EVERY FOOD DONATION MATTERS When each family extends their resources by buying extra groceries on behalf of families in need, their

RSVP Here Celebrate the holidays with GRACE and help us collect toys for families in need at GRACE’s Christmas Cottage Open House on Tuesday, December 12, at the 2017 Christmas Cottage, 3100 Timberline Drive in Grapevine. This is an ideal holiday event for your family, church, civic group or business to attend. Children (as well as children at heart!) are encouraged to dress up like their favorite Disney character, in keeping with this year’s magical theme. Holiday goodies will be served for the children at 4:00 p.m., with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped gifts to children and families in need. Click here for a comprehensive list of toy ideas for all age groups. For those who haven’t experienced the magic of Christmas Cottage in the community, Christmas Cottage is a GRACE program that alleviates the financial burden of Christmas gifts during

GRACE celebrates the launching of Rooted In GRACE, a building initiative that will house all programs under one roof. The community is invited to take part in our Groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, November 16 from 9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. The program will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the building site, located at 837 & 843 East Walnut Street in Grapevine, and will include a community blessing and words from community leaders. ABOUT The founding of GRACE came from a small group of church leaders who wanted to create a single source to assist those in their congregations who had fallen on hard times. In the last thirty years the scope of GRACE has expanded as the need has drastically increased. Even in an area of relative affluence like Northeast Tarrant County, hunger is extensive and widespread. In the last five years alone the number of GRACE Food Pantry clients has nearly

A warm meal Thanksgiving Day serves as the centerpiece upon which we reflect and thank God for our blessings. For those who are facing the trial of job loss, illness, eviction, or other emergencies, an abundant meal might seem out of reach this year. In the same way a family potluck relies on various members to bring each dish, members of the community are being asked to purchase extra food or make a monetary donation that will go toward families needing support. Local congregations, businesses, troops, and community are encouraged to think of creative ways to meet the needs on our Holiday Food List, which is published here.   Christmas Cottage Creates Tidings of Comfort and Joy to Local Families The upcoming season is a time of faith and family, but many families in our community are suffering from a recent loss or emergency that creates an additional burden. Christmas