Last week, the GRACE Leadership team and Board of Directors set out to recognize one staff member to receive the agency’s highest honor for her fierce work ethic, leadership, and excellence in mission. GRACE Volunteer Manager, Lara Hohweiler, has worked with GRACE in various capacities for nearly five years, first with our resale operations and currently as part of the Development department. Her role to manage volunteers extends far beyond scheduling and delegating. Lara builds genuine relationships with civic clubs, church congregations, individuals and businesses, because her passion for the community is sincere and infectious. To put it simply– you can’t go anywhere with Lara without someone from the community coming to steal a hug from her! Lara manages multiple speaking engagements throughout the agency, maintaining community engagement initiatives and serving in multiple volunteer capacities with the Grapevine Women’s Division and other memberships. In addition to her regular duties, Lara

The Grapevine Police Department (GPD) is dedicated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to make sure every Grapevine resident is safe. With families seeking refuge in our community in the aftermath of the storms, the GPD went above and beyond to ensure our newest neighbors had all their essential needs met through GRACE programs. They put out a call for nonperishable foods, socks, diapers, and hygiene items, and the community responded with abundance. Within 24 hours, the overflowing boxes of donations couldn’t be contained in one trip, and multiple trips are planned as the donations continue to come in from officers and community residents. “In times like this, we know that families want to make meaningful, material donations to give to another family,” said police Meeting Manager Amanda McNew. “As long as the community has a need, we will continue to be an outlet for their generosity.” There

Poverty is a very complicated issue, but feeding a child isn’t. –Jeff Bridges The summer is reaching an end and the tallies are in. In 11 weeks’ time, your families, local businesses, civic groups and church congregations served 35,574 lunches to at-risk children every weekday this summer! To put that staggering number in perspective, if you lined 35,574 large pizzas from end to end starting at our friends at Wise Guys Pizzeria, the pies would travel to fellow Feed Our Kids donors, Taverna Rossa all the way back to Chick-fil-A in Grapevine Mills—a pizza-studded trip 9 miles long! We love Feed Our Kids not only because of what it sets out to accomplish, but how it relies on this incredible community to carry it out. Businesses, churches, city leaders and parents across these great towns served brisket, pizza, snow cones, reading activities, craft time and memorable treats for tummies and

The following is an editorial series written from the vantage point of the Front Desk Receptionist, Vicki Yarnell. Summertime brings parents with children in tow, all welcomed by a friendly smile and eager volunteers. The front lobby has a video player to entertain the lively kiddos, although it seems like the parents are just as pleased with the selection of cartoons and family classics. Kids can choose from a basket of books and even take one home if they’d like. While it is a bustling time, a change in the air reminds us that summer is disappearing. Families leave with school supplies, and we don’t know what’s bursting more: the backpacks full of supplies, or the spirits on the children’s faces from getting something to call their own. Groups from many organizations are pitching in for last-minute Back to School needs. Fall clothing was prepared for the Back to School

Two years ago Grapevine Lake experienced one of the more devastating floods in recent memory. Businesses and parks all around the lake were deeply affected, among those being Big Daddy’s Ship Store. The City of Grapevine, Chamber of Commerce, and community residents responded with an outpouring of support after the flooding caused considerable damage and extended loss of business. Big Daddy’s Ship Store prevailed. The lakeside restaurant continues to be a local hub for top-notch burgers, fresh seafood, and live entertainment. Thanks to owners Matt Armand and Craig Pritchett’s fierce determination to pay it forward, the team has utilized their knack for a good time by hosting a Stock the Food Pantry event, a benefit event that delivered its promise of finger-lickin barbeque and live entertainment. The benefit event was a tremendous success. On top of the food given on behalf of the GRACE Food Pantry, the restaurant donated event

GRACE welcomed the Grapevine High School Softball team, which hosted an entire work week of Feed Our Kids! The group served at least 555 meals to children in need, potentially enough for 62 teams to grace the Mustang dugout in the years to come. The objective of Feed Our Kids is to deliver meals to children living neighborhoods most vulnerable to food insecurity. Having a presence at the communities, specifically, the Trailwood Mobile Home Estates where the softball team served is both intentional and relational. Volunteers are encouraged to look for ways to engage with the neighborhood children (like testing their pitching arm) or hosting at arts and crafts table. This gives groups a unique opportunity to be creative, employ their talents, and present learning opportunities for parents and peers to remember that we are all on one team. Thanks to the dedicated role models at Grapevine High School, and

The mission of the GRACE Community Garden is to cultivate a healthy community by providing organically grown produce to families that seek help at the GRACE Food Pantry. UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 9 GARDEN WORK DAY HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Ongoing Community Garden Needs: Volunteer on scheduled work days – garden clean up/planting Make a monetary donation (Please mention GRACE garden in memo.) Donation of seeds and plants for planting days

Ashley Cunningham has been nominated as a Shining Star, a prestigious recognition announced at Arts Council Northeast’s signature event that raises funds and honors outstanding women leaders. Ashley is an invaluable part of the community and played an instrumental role in the oversight of GRACE’s single most important fund raising event to ensure all the moving parts function seamlessly for a memorable and purposeful event. As co-chair of the 2016 Gala, Ashley worked tirelessly to ensure that every detail and function of the event was completed to the utmost perfection. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Texas. A former teacher and child life specialist, her specialization in children with special needs led her to partner with Camp Jon Marc, a North Texas summer camp designed for children

If you haven’t had a Berkeys Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electrical van pull to your driveway to service your home, you’ve probably spotted a Berkeys van driving throughout the Metroplex. What many may not see is the behind-the-scenes services, donations, and resources Berkeys provides for the community they love. President and owner, Jamie Wooldridge, built his company to fulfill charitable work, including utilizing his skills to provide substantial HVAC services to all GRACE sites. The longtime friend of GRACE, Berkeys has also been a steadfast sponsor of the GRACE Gala, this year as a Platinum Plus Sponsor. The team at Berkeys has made a personal investment in various projects, including the Christmas Cottage program, which provides new, unwrapped toys to family members facing hardship. After the Berkeys staff helped prepare the Christmas Cottage for guests, the team was so moved by the experience that they were compelled to mobilize their

Five National Junior Honors Society scholars and fellow Girl Scout members of Troop #1411 met a profound need for struggling mothers seeking haven at GRACE. The young ladies collected and raised enough baby items to fill 50 new diaper bags, meeting their goal to achieve the Girl Scout Silver Award—the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. Each embroidered diaper bag holds all the essentials for a new mom—diapers, wipes, pacifiers, blankets, bottles, books, and other necessities. The Cross Timbers middle school students showed their sewing skills with handmade burp cloths that filled each bag. A kit will be given to new mothers who enter our Transitional Program, as well as single mothers or families struggling to meet the varying needs of their children. It’s particularly inspiring that these young girls would have the insight to understand the far-reaching impact helping parents have on empowering the next generation. We