The Fourth Quarter 2021 GRACE MVP Award winner received multiple nominations based on exceptional customer service, outstanding attitude, interdepartmental relations/teamwork and excellence in mission. This person has been a pure joy to work with since joining the GRACE Team. Their smile is noted over and over and anyone is challenged to find a time when this person’s smile is not shining! Through all of the multiple job duties and challenges that have presented themselves, this person constantly keeps an attitude that GRACE would and should be proud of, they exemplify the values of our agency. Whether it is working nonstop with seasonal programs to assisting Gala preparations to being part of Leadership Southlake to being a good neighbor in the halls – even keeping Batman and Santa on schedule and in line at the Christmas Cottage – she provides top-notch work and is a true light in each day. GRACE

Our Food Pantry is completely out of paper goods, and we need your help! Our biggest need right now is for paper towels and toilet paper especially. With everything going around, our clients need items like paper towels as well as cleaning supplies to keep their families safe and healthy. For those wishing to make an impact, this is the easiest and most effective way to do so. Our Food Pantry serves as a grocery store and community hub for hundreds of our clients. When our community members need food or other goods, they know that they can rely on the friendly faces of the hard-working GRACE Pantry staff and volunteers. That’s why keeping the Pantry stocked with only the finest goods is crucial. Your contributions to our shelves and refrigerators directly impact families in our community so please drop off any donations at the GRACE Food Pantry. Thank you

COVID-19 has done more than its fair share of damage in the last two years. The mere utterance of its name is enough to make a person groan, and this will likely remain true for decades to come. The economic, educational and especially mental effects have been extensive, giving some of our favorite businesses, big and small, no choice but to shut down. Knowing how many families GRACE would be forced to turn away, it became our mission to do everything in our power to keep the virus from coming between GRACE and its clients. We are pleased to announce that 92% of our employees are fully vaccinated to date! On top of this, 90% of our GRACE Community Clinic clients are fully vaccinated as well, and the large majority have received their booster! It is becoming more and more clear that COVID-19 will be not be making a full

From being a representative of GRACE to helping clients, the GRACE staff certainly play many roles in others’ lives, and that is why it is a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye to Marcela Melendez and Fran Butterfield. Marcela Melendez was GRACE’s Client Service Manager. She recently left GRACE to continue her education at Dallas College and eventually UTA to become a future Nurse Practitioner. Marcy started working with GRACE nine years ago, and has made a lasting impact during her time here. She has served over 10,000 clients, headed many back-to-school drives and has strived to put clients’ needs first in every situation. People who worked with her have said she is, “very compassionate and kindhearted, and you can see it when she’s interacting with her clients.” To her coworkers, she’s known to be a giver because of the many gifts she gives on birthdays, special holidays and sometimes on

Our Christmas Cottage has officially closed for the season. Though the toys, books and decorations might be gone, the Cottage is still overflowing with the thankful hearts of our community and everyone here at GRACE. Individuals, families, churches, schools, civic organizations and corporations alike united under one cause and the mission of GRACE. You made the difference and created a joyful, worry-free Christmas for our families. We could not have served our community without the generosity, strength and love from all of you. This year you helped us serve 805 households, which consisted of 2,912 individuals. With every gift delivered off and every hour sacrificed, our volunteers were able create almost 3,000 smiles this year. We hope you are as proud of your impact as we are- we can’t thank you enough! The GRACE family wishes you a happy and healthy new year, and we hope to see you again

The 2022 GRACE Poker Tournament is right around the corner! Seating is limited so if you want to buy a seat you need to act fast. We’re excited to announce our returning presenting sponsor: Wright Construction Company! This corporation raises funds for our life-changing programs and has been a huge success since we introduced it two years ago. This exclusive event is selling out faster and faster each year, so it is imperative that those wanting to play act now. Park Place Jaguar Land Rover DFW is eager to host our annual poker tournament for a second year at their cutting edge facility Saturday, February 5th, 2022. This year’s prize package includes a trip to Las Vegas provided by the Travel Purveyor with airline tickets through Southwest Airlines. The event wouldn’t be complete without a superb selection of wine, beverages, and food courtesy of Scratch Catering and Fine Foods and

It all began with a sub sandwich. Rather, a bagful of sub sandwiches from Grapevine Subs & More. Nicole and Sam Felberbaum, proprietors of Grapevine Subs at the time, had a brilliant fundraising idea for the CBI Brotherhood, a group of community-spirited people associated with Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform Jewish community in Colleyville. It was late in 2013, and Sam’s idea was a casino night event to benefit several local charitable agencies, including GRACE. Sam’s purpose of the meeting—and the subs—was to learn some of the “tricks of the trade” of doing special events. Sam had been impressed by the reach and success of the GRACE Gala, and was hoping to use it as a model for his casino night idea. A date in January 2014 was set, and a theme of a 1920’s-era speakeasy tavern was created. Fast forward nine years, and Sam’s concept has blossomed into one

GRACE welcomes our new Marketing & Communications Manager, Natalie Podsednik! Growing up in Arlington, Texas, Natalie has always been very outgoing. Playing volleyball, cheerleading, and hiking were just a few of Natalie’s interests. On top of graduating from Southwest Christian School in 2017 with all A’s, Natalie continued her education going to Abilene Christian University, with a study in Graphic Design/Advertising. She was a member of AIGA, (America Institute of Graphic Arts) and the sorority Delta Theta, and carried on a load of internships that would propel her to the next level in her life. Natalie graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the Presidential Scholarship throughout all four years. Natalie first started working with GRACE as the Marketing & Communications Intern in early July, helping to brand the entire 2021 Gala, and rebranded GRACE as a whole. She transitioned to the manager role in late September- just in time for

Congregation Beth Israel’s (CBI) 9th Annual Casino Night benefitting GRACE will be taking place online on January 8, 2022 from 7:30pm – 9:00pm! This wonderful event benefitting GRACE and four other amazing organizations – CBI, Jewish Family Services of Ft. Worth and Tarrant County, Stepping Stones Foundation, and the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation – is being held online once again. CBI put out this statement regarding the tournament… “Since March 2020, all of us have been affected in some way due to the pandemic. Many within our community are hurting in multiple ways, whether with sickness, food insecurity, mental health, job loss, and/or other. It is our goal for this evening to bring some positive energy by hosting this event to benefit some great organizations that do excellent work with at-risk teens, seniors, the hungry, and the most vulnerable in our communities.” CBI is asking you to consider purchasing at

For many years now, The Women’s Division of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce has partnered with GRACE’s Friends & Family program to lavish our senior clients with gifts, home décor, and cash donations. That tradition is still going strong, and was a huge success last weekend! Hundreds of our seniors woke up early on Saturday morning to witness generous visitors from the Women’s Division with arms-full of gifts from their Christmas list. Shopping for necessities was a common goal this year, so many clients received toiletries, cleaning supplies and small meals that last. The goal of this event is not only to give our senior clients Christmas presents, but also to show them the community cares for them and that we are always looking to help in any way possible. Many of our senior clients do not have family who live nearby, so isolation and depression can become a huge