Love is in the air on Valentine’s Day weekend. As you cherish your loved ones, consider one more way your heart can expand. Participating in the Friends & Family program, which provides assistance and companionship to displaced or immobile seniors, is a much-needed avenue to extend your heart to someone in need of love. The Friends & Family senior program was established after realizing the great gap of services for our local seniors. A closer look at our senior’s fixed income revealed that after covering medications and basic bills, very little was left over for food, gas and health equipment. Moreover, many local seniors faced isolation from any family members and lacked the ability to even leave their homes for simple errands.Our services expanded from commodities to transportation and of course, the priceless gift of friendship. Fortunately, our wonderful community has risen to the occasion to meet the physical and emotional needs of

One of the reasons the Food Pantry resonates with so many is the tangible way it meets the needs of others in such a bright, friendly environment. It’s the attention to detail and warm smiles from our wonderful GRACE volunteers that make the Pantry a welcoming refuge, and the generosity of people like you who provide sustenance to those in need. The team at the Food Pantry puts together a regular shopping list for those who wish to meet the need in real-time. There is a continual need for cooking oil and toiletries, including wipes and diapers. For a complete listing of the Food Pantry Needs, go here. An updated list is always available on the GRACE home page. Hosting a collection drive is an excellent way to meet a feasible need. Regular volunteer shifts are also available. Contact Volunteer Manager Lara Hohweiler or get more details on our webpage

We are privileged to welcome a new member to the GRACE Family. As the Director of Finance & Operations, Teresa Williamson currently oversees all financial and logistical operations at GRACE. The breadth of Teresa’s non-profit experience is unparalleled. As the Director of Finance for Child Care Associates in Fort Worth, she managed multiple grants for youth care with a collective worth of $70M. Of her many hallmark achievements, she was also responsible for streamlining many processes through unprecedented automated systems, which led to additional revenue stream to assist families and children. Her prior fiscal management experience in the legal sector and rehabilitation industry give her a broad scope and unique understanding of the community we serve. Teresa holds great pride in her financial office. “Stewardship is closest to my heart because so very many people have given generously,” says Teresa, “Now it is my responsibility to ensure those funds are used as intended.”

This week GRACE hosted a special ceremony to acknowledge the Albertsons’ fierce dedication to meet the needs of those at-risk for hunger. The Colleyville Albertsons received the GRACE Outstanding Community Partner Award for going far and above the call to provide meals to families on a local level. Since 2013, the store has given over 55,000 pounds of food through the GRACE Food Pantry, which serves over 7,660 at-risk family members on average each year. 2016 is projected to be an unprecedented year of giving through their Souper Bowl of Caring, going on now through Super Bowl Sunday. The campaign offers pre-filled bags of food to purchase on behalf of families in need at GRACE. According to the Tarrant Area Food Bank, which helps to facilitate the Souper Bowl of Caring program, the local store has given enough food to provide over 32,000 meals since the campaign began. “It’s exceptionally

GRACE has long responded to those in need by providing emergency relief to lessen the risk of poverty. Providing short-term relief is only part of what we do, and we understand that guidance toward self-sufficiency is the best way to serve families and individuals long-term. Families And Individuals Towards Hope (FAITH) is a GRACE service model that navigates families toward a promising path of stability through measurable steps and regular accountability. Those enrolled in FAITH collaborate with their advocate for a minimum of 90-days. Each intensive plan is carefully monitored and requires weekly accountability and ample oversight. Small, reasonable steps are set in place to accomplish major goals, such as finding employment, paying off debt or financing medical bills. FAITH’s Impact One example of meeting feasible needs is from Dylan, a single male who went through FAITH after a swift decline in his health cost him the only line of

There’s a unique energy in the night air at our annual Drive Into the Night glowing golf tournament, which offers nine holes of golf under the starry sky.  Even more than the afterglow of a fun evening is the knowing that 100% of the event proceeds fund GRACE programs. This year’s event will take place at the Grapevine Golf Course on Friday, April 22, 2016. Although no golfing prowess is needed, avid golfers and beginners alike love this event. It’s an ideal morale building evening for business teams, civic groups or a small group of friends looking to have fun while giving back to their community. Players can register as individuals, pairs, or part of a team. Dinner is included, along with contests prizes and great auction items. The best way to ensure your participation is through sponsoring a team. The various sponsorship levels allow for tailored options, ranging from $300-$10,000.

Our friends at Compassion International have hit the road to present their acclaimed, “Rock & Worship Roadshow” featuring the nation’s best contemporary Christian artists. GRACE has accepted the invitation to be one of their local ministry partners to share the GRACE story before thousands at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Music headliners include the Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Mandisa, and Phil Wickam, with many other fabulous artists (list below). Needless to say, GRACE feels extremely honored to have our programs highlighted before the most respected Christian game-changers of our time, including Compassion International, which advocates for children facing poverty in developing countries. Members of the GRACE family are encouraged to purchase tickets at $20 each (reserved seating) or receive a complimentary volunteer pass through their website. This family-friendly event will be held on Friday, February 12 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. This is an unprecedented platform to share

We hope you realize what an incredible impact you have on the lives of those who come through our Transitional Housing program. To be offered individualized care and encouragement in a safe, loving environment is a rare experience for most of our clients, who set out to utilize every opportunity before them. Clients come to GRACE with diverse situations and backgrounds, but each Transitional Housing client has the same fundamental goal of achieving self-sufficiency for a healthy home. By far their greatest desire when asked about goals involves continued education. For some, it’s obtaining their GED, and for others it’s completing their undergraduate program, attending a trade school or getting a specific certification. Two Transitional Housing Clients Receive Scholarship For the last three years, the Kathee Livengood Scholarship Fund has memorialized Livengood’s legacy of benevolence by opening doors to amazing possibilities for deserving women. The Kathee Livengood Scholarship afforded *Donna the