The Grapevine Postal Service delivered more than our mail at the Food Pantry last month. Volunteers and postal workers collected bags of groceries as part of a national campaign to Stamp Out Hunger. Empty bags were left at homes to be filled with food to go to the GRACE Food pantry. The total of each bag of groceries from your doorsteps weighed more than an elephant—that’s 6,186 pounds of food collected on behalf of those in need! Rather than being shipped to some regional distribution center miles away all the food collected by the community goes back to homes in their neighborhoods and cities. During the month of May, the GRACE Food Pantry was able to give an estimated $38,000 worth of produce and kitchen staples such as milk, eggs, bread and meat to families in need. Every can of food or gallon of milk this community collects gives nourishment,

Check out the beautiful images taken at this year’s GRACE Gala Gifting party! A special thanks to the talented Sarah Ware of Sarah Ware Photography for capturing the warmth of the GRACE family. If you weren’t able to attend and would still like to participate, the Gala Auction Committee is accepting in-kind gifts until October. The types of gifts are only limited to your imagination, but some examples might include: airline miles, tickets to concerts or sporting events, unique experiences, vacation stays and spa packages. In-kind donations are an important element of the GRACE Gala, which generates program funding throughout the year to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical attention to families facing crisis in the community. Check out the album on our Facebook page here. Download the In-Kind Auction Donor form here  

Congregation Beth Israel, known as CBI Brotherhood, took to the card table to raise funds for GRACE programming with their annual Casino Night. What the brotherhood has been able to accomplish in only three years is remarkable, having generated nearly twice as much proceeds as the previous year with a $6,000 donation to GRACE! This event has been heralded as one of the community’s premiere events. CBI garners support throughout the year for raffle prizes, auction items, and delectable food from Mac’s on Main, which serves a special menu customized for the event. Last year was a masquerade affair with a Monte Carlo theme, and the previous year was Casino Royale. The group has already kicked off a meeting to plan the fourth event, and we can’t wait to see what the new theme will be. We are indebted to the generous men and women who invested hundreds of hours

What began as a somewhat of a diversion ended with nearly two decades of loyal service to GRACE.  Friends Debbie Minea and Nancy Bowen have faithfully driven the same route to deliver supplies and warm smiles to seniors through Friends & Family month after month, year after year. Back in 1997, Nancy struggled with a devastating health diagnosis. That’s why her PTA friend, Debbie, encouraged her to get out into the community by giving back. Debbie had been no stranger to GRACE. In fact she had been on staff in multiple capacities, including Client Services and the Community Clinic in its infancy. Soon the monthly rounds became a staple on their calendar, and both looked forward to the time they could catch up with their friend while developing rapport with the seniors. When asked how the experience impacted her over the years, Nancy said, “The years seemed to fly by,

On behalf of the GRACE Gala Auction Committee, a warmhearted thank you for making the Gifting Party part of your evening. As always, we are overwhelmed by the generosity of this community. If you weren’t able to attend and would still like to participate, the Gala Auction Committee is accepting in-kind gifts until October. The types of gifts are only limited to your imagination, but some examples might include: airline miles, tickets to concerts or sporting events, unique experiences, vacation stays and spa packages. In-kind donations are an important element of the GRACE Gala, which generates program funding throughout the year to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical attention to families facing crisis in the community. We’d like to extend our gratitude to our generous guests, Brio and new General Manager Scott Bandy, for being our hospitable hosts. Please watch out Facebook page for the complete photo album.  

If you have a heart for children and some availability this summer, Feed Our Kids is an excellent way for hands-on volunteering that meets a tangible need for at-risk children. Feed Our Kids alleviates the burden for families by giving nutritious meals to children while school is not in session. Between 37,000 and 38,500 meals are served each summer thanks to selfless volunteers and support from local restaurants. The program kicks off June 6 each weekday through August 15. If you’ve never been part of Feed Our Kids, this summer program is deal for churches, civic groups or businesses looking to improve internal morale and be part of giving back in a local, tangible way. There are still spots available the end of June, through July and mid-August. Groups can choose to sponsor meals at a particular site for the day or work week. New groups will have the resources

When Primrose approached GRACE about ways to serve, we fell in love with the idea of their children collecting books for other children who are less fortunate. Primrose School at Hall Johnson, together with a community group from 121 Church, collected a library of approximately 150 children’s books to go to the families in GRACE’s Transitional Housing program. Extra devotional and inspirational books were also collected for the single mothers in the program. The parents, children and staff personalized each book with stamps, stickers, bible verses and encouraging messages to the clients. GRACE Accountant Amy Jensen was the liaison between GRACE and the two groups. When asked what she garnered from this experience, she writes, “It’s brought me so much joy to share the mission of GRACE by building relationships and spurring others to make an impact within the realm of their own passions.” The school has hosted collected drives

The GRACE family literally bridged the gap for one senior couple in the community. Each month faithful Friends & Family volunteers deliver commodities to displaced and isolated seniors in our neighborhoods. Not only do these volunteers ensure each senior’s physical needs are met, a relationship naturally develops as a trusted advocate and friend. Of the two seniors living in the mobile home, one was physically handicapped. The volunteers noticed the entry to the home was unstable at best, and there was cause for concern for the safety of these clients. Friends & Family Coordinator Maryanne Waddell researched to find a solution for the elderly couple to ensure the daily hazard was repaired by construction professionals. She enlisted the help of friend and GRACE supporter Shawn Goff, owner of Graham Hart Home Builders.  Goff reached out to his contacts and personally donated the materials and labor for the eight-hour project. Not

Each month the GRACE Community Garden invites the community to participate in a garden day. The duties tend to vary based on the season, state and planting stages of each crop. We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, June 4, when we will be planting tomatoes, peppers, watermelon and cantaloupe. The team will tend to last month’s planting of sweet potatoes and tomatillos. We will also mulch crops and walkways before calling it a day. The garden day begins at 8:00 a.m. and will likely end at noon, depending on volunteer response. This is an excellent way to engage your family, church group or civic group with hands-on learning that directly benefits families in need. The GRACE Community Garden is responsible for an average of 3,000 pounds of fresh, organic produce each year. Families can also enjoy the newfound availability of fruit, a rare luxury for a family on a