With the new year just around the corner, we want to take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who has helped us make the GRACE Christmas Cottage possible. From our core group of volunteers, a.k.a. the elves, to all volunteers and donors who give and organize donations to welcome and bless the families we serve. We simply couldn’t do it without you. And, of course, to our staff who manages the cottage, organizes the sign-ups for volunteers, and the multitude of staff who come alongside this program to organize the Open House and who just fill in when needed. Thank you one and all! Many people don’t know how families are made eligible for the Christmas Cottage. It starts right when we are blessed with a location to house this program. Our Client Services staff made up of a CS Manager, four case workers and two administrative support team members interview

Last week GRACE hosted its annual Christmas Holiday Food Distribution which gave holiday meals to over 400 families in the community. This special event is designed to give families a holiday meal that is specifically donated by individuals, businesses, and churches in the local community. The Holiday food box included a box of canned goods, eggs, butter, milk, cheese, a choice of either ham or turkey, and other delicious foods and desserts that make the holiday season special. GRACE Clients are encouraged to take part in this by speaking with one of GRACE’s wonderful caseworkers, where they will receive a voucher and more information about this annual event. As the week progressed, however, DFW was amongst many communities in Texas that were hit with below-freezing temperatures. This caused many individuals and GRACE to change their game plan for the GRACE Holiday Food distribution. With the help of some heaters, gloves, hot

Due to the holidays, GRACE locations will be operating under adjusted hours. If you have an emergency that cannot wait until normal operating hours, please contact Client Services at 817-602-1204. Warm wishes and happy holidays from the GRACE Family to yours! GRACEful Buys Grapevine and Euless: December 23: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve: CLOSED Christmas Day: CLOSED New Years Day: CLOSED   Programs, Development, and Administrative Offices: December 23: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. December 26: CLOSED December 27: CLOSED December 30: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. January 2: CLOSED   Donation Station: Christmas Eve: CLOSED Christmas Day: CLOSED December 31: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. New Year’s Day: CLOSED

Tis is the season for lots of laughter fellowship, cheer, and of course, Santa Claus. Yes, the GRACE Transitional Housing (TH) program hosted a holiday celebration for the families and children that are in the program and Jolly Old St Nick made a stop to visit with the wonderful children in the TH program. Last week, GRACE TH kids were treated to a magical night, complete with a cookie decorating station, fun crafts and a hot cocoa bar. Each kid also received a present and delicious food thanks to the 2022 TH Volunteer of the Year, Kim Haggerty, and Abiding Grace Lutheran Church. The GRACE Transitional Housing program works with homeless individuals and families to help move them toward independence. TH Clients participate in intensive case management to assist them in achieving educational, career, and financial goals while living in clean, stable housing. All activities are aimed at self-determination and

The GRACE Donation Station is the entry point to all donations for GRACE Clients and retail shops. Due to the holiday influx of donations that GRACE receives on a daily basis, (which we are so grateful) we need volunteers to help us! GRACE is looking for extra assistance to sort donations while also making sure that the donations get to our clients and to our stores in a timely manner. At Donation Station (DS), all items are processed and sorted to provide shoppers with a clean, pleasant shopping experience at GRACE’s two resale shops. The roundabout at DS sees an average of 400 donations per day with an increase during the holiday season. Volunteers can find themselves, unloading donations from vehicles, sorting donations to meet the needs of clients and shoppers, pricing items, and or electronic testing. All of these activities and more provide volunteers time to connect with others,

A big shout out and thank you to Kylan Hoss! Kylan heard about a GRACE Client whom found a mold issue in her home and jumped to help. After assessing the issues, he immediately went to work. He cleaned and repaired the area to prevent further mold and caulked the windows to prevent further water coming in the home. The GRACE client was so grateful for Kylan. He truly went the extra mile for a fellow community person. “Kylan really went out of their way to assist someone in need in our community. They went above and beyond to help. The community is so thankful for people like Kylan” said Araceli Olivo, GRACE Community Health Clinic Administrator. It is universally understood that the holidays can be a stressful financial season even without unexpected health and home issues popping up. No matter how big or small the sacrifice our donors, volunteers

Hosted at this year’s wonderful Christmas Cottage, GRACE Board and Staff gathered and welcomed each other with open arms and wide smiles to celebrate the holidays and show appreciation for GRACE’s ability to serve the community. GRACE team members brought their favorite dishes for a potluck-style holiday meal. After Transitional Housing Manager, Martisha Smith opened up the evening with a beautiful prayer, GRACE CEO, Shonda Schaefer thanked both staff and board for coming out. Staff were thanked for being stewards of the GRACE mission and doing a continued great job in their positions. The GRACE team would like to thank each donor, volunteer, staff, board member, and supporter of our mission. We are so appreciative of every individual, every civic group, every church and every business that supports GRACE. From fundraising, to distributing food in 100-degree weather to assisting a parent shopping for their family, it is because of you

GRACE would like to welcome new Bilingual Caseworker, Judith Altieri. Judith was born in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, and was raised in Puerto Rico. As a child, Judith was very ambitious. She always wanted to learn more about different cultures and was fascinated with different languages. All of this carried over into her adulthood, as she went to Ladycliff College in New York and got her degree in Spanish with a minor in Sociology and French. Before joining GRACE, Judith worked as a Job Placement Specialist for Goodwill Industries. In her role there, she helped with the homeless population in the Ft Worth Area, while also visiting many shelters in the community. In her role at GRACE, Judith interacts with many clients each day, helping them start their path toward self-sufficiency. It’s this that Judith says makes her job empowering. “ I believe individuals deserve to be helped,” said

Christmas is fast-approaching, and GRACE Transitional Housing is looking to house three families in our Nash location before it arrives! With only two weeks left, we need assistance turning these houses into homes for our wonderful new families. Several of GRACE’s regular groups who prepare these units are unavailable due to the holidays. However, we do not want to wait until the new year to get them settled. To have these families in a safe, warm place of their own before Christmas would be the greatest blessing we could give them. For those who have not participated in this aspect of the Transitional Housing program, volunteers are needed to clean, furnish and decorate the space to transform it into a home fit for each family. GRACE Transitional Housing managers will provide volunteers with a list of needs for each unit. GRACE provides several resources to make the process more convenient

The Christmas Cottage is officially open now until Dec 22nd and the community was more than excited to celebrate helping families in our community this holiday season at the Cottage at its Open House this past Wednesday, Dec 6th! Community members, donors, volunteers, and supporters all came out to celebrate the magic of the Christmas Cottage while also spotlighting everyone who helped to make this year’s Christmas Cottage come to life. Santa Claus made his special holiday appearance delighting guests with his jolly laugh, and asking children what they wanted for Christmas, while parents got to enjoy an all-exclusive tour from the GRACE Christmas Cottage volunteers. Attendees enjoyed Christmas music, delicious food catered by Steve Brown and Ezparza’s, wonderful wine from Tessa Battlefield with Piattelli Vineyards, and tea from Todd Bockenfeld with HTeaO. GRACE’s Chief Executive Officer, Shonda Schaefer spoke about the Christmas Cottage and that it relies on community