GRACE is proud to announce that we were awarded the HEB Chamber Community Service Award which is presented in recognition of outstanding community service that benefits HEB and the surrounding areas. We are so proud to accept this award, we’ve had a great partnership with the HEB Chamber for many years so this honor means so much to us. “I want to thank the Chamber as well as our Board, employees, and our unbelievably dedicated volunteers,” said GRACE CEO Shonda Schaefer. “This is a true honor, we appreciate it so much.” Held at the Texas Star Conference Center on Friday, February 26th or virtually on Zoom, the award ceremony celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding local businesses, organizations, and individuals. We do not take honors like this lightly, thank you once again to the Chamber, we are so excited to continue our work together.

The amazing contributions of GRACE volunteers will be recognized at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, Friday, April 23rd. This year’s event will be celebrated virtually with the theme Volunteer Vacation…and after the weather we’ve had recently I think we can all agree that some sunshine and a warm sandy beach sounds pretty good! “This past year has shown the true strength and power of our volunteer force,” said GRACE Chief Executive Officer Shonda Schaefer. “No matter how difficult things got we could always depend on our volunteers…I’m so proud of them.” This organization simply could not exist without the thousands of people who have rolled up their sleeves to help their community over the decades. Annually, more than 2,500 active volunteers serve in essential capacities at all GRACE sites. Lifelong volunteers serve at the Food Pantry and Donation Station. Medical professionals come from their clinics and hospitals to treat patients

It’s hard to believe that millions of Texans were freezing in their own homes last week – the snow might be melted but that doesn’t mean your help isn’t still needed. The damages from last week’s winter storm wreaked havoc in unexpected ways and families across North Texas are still in desperate need. Flooding from frozen pipes that burst have caused significant damage to homes and the goods that many of us take for granted. Ruined clothes, furniture, and appliances will need to be replaced, and those that have been displaced and faced with the reality of starting from scratch again. Cleaning supplies are needed to deal with general clean up but specialized cleaning products that target mildew and mold are in great demand. So many families who were already living paycheck to paycheck have had to throw away what little food and perishables that they had due to extended

We are proud to introduce our new Community Health Clinic Administrator, Araceli Olivo! Araceli stays very busy in her position helping out staff and clients with tasks like translation, chronic illness education, and navigating the complicated ins and outs of insurance and liabilities. Ms. Olivo started off her journey in healthcare working at Baylor Irving Emergency Room, but after a few years she wanted to help give better care to those that needed it so she decided to become certified as a Community Health Worker. It was during her time at Baylor as a CHW that she became aware of GRACE. “I actually had a patient that lived in Grapevine and needed help so I found GRACE online,” Araceli said. “I immediately fell in love with the organization because of all the different services it offered to clients.” Araceli said she knew quickly that she wanted to work for us

In times of great crisis, heroes emerge to lend a hand to those in need and lead those who need a path to safety. We want to thank the following people and groups for their amazing courage and grace throughout this experience: The City of Grapevine for quick action and running the warming center that was set up at the REC. Grapevine Police and Fire Department for their bravery and for helping bring stranded community members to safety. Jennifer Hibbs, Grapevine Assistant City Manager, and former GRACE board member for coordinating and managing emergency systems throughout the city. Mike Hamlin, Grapevine Police Chief, and GRACE board member for his leadership both as an officer and a community member. Compass Church helped shelter local residents.  121 Community Church helped with a warming station.  Grapevine Church of Christ for also setting up a warming station.  Jamé Scott for volunteering to help with

GRACE has been in “crisis mode” since the March 2020 outbreak of COVID-19 and has overcome nearly all of the challenges that came its way. The winter storms that pounded North Texas this week are no exception. GRACE assisted the City of Grapevine’s warming facility at The REC, which served as the official warming station for those without electricity in their homes. GRACE staff worked with the American Red Cross and Grapevine Police, Fire, and Medical Services on numerous services to those in need. GRACE caseworkers have been on call 24/7 to provide food, sheltering, clothing, and medical care as needed. Client Services case managers have been fielding emergency calls and reaching out to vulnerable client families…sometimes calling numerous times to make sure that a call was answered. Like millions in North Texas, the GRACE offices on East Walnut was without power since early Monday. Still, the GRACE Food Pantry has

This week members of the GRACE Family joined virtually to welcome another family into our Transitional Housing Program…a BIG family…we are proud to announce that Miss D and her 4 kids are in their beautiful new home, working towards a new life. Preparing a home this large is no easy task, requiring maybe the largest team assembled for a project like this. Over 90 people were involved with getting the home ready for Miss D and her beautiful children. There were so many involved that I sent an email to White’s Chapel United Methodist Church’s Martha Reukema, project coordinator for the ‘Home with a Heart’ program, for clarification on all the wonderful people that helped make this house a home… “Members of Women’s Ministry and Mary & Martha (groups within our church) made up the majority of the volunteers. They signed up and purchased the numerous gifts that were requested

This weekend stop by both of our GRACEful Buys locations for huge savings. Everything in both, GRACEful Buys Grapevine and GB Euless, is 30% off thru Monday the 15th. Stop by and find amazing deals on great clothes, fun accessories, quality furniture, and a ton of other cool and unique things. To top it off, all Valentine’s Day goods are 50% off thru February 14th. GRACEful Buys isn’t just an upscale resale store… proceeds from both locations benefit those in need through GRACE programs. Every time you buy at GB, you’re getting a deal on high-quality goods and you’re making a direct contribution to your community. So whether you are looking for shirts and jeans for the kids, love to refurbish or repurpose furniture, or on the hunt for a good book – GRACEful Buys has what you are looking for. All of our merchandise is carefully chosen for quality

GRACE is excited to introduce our new Stewardship Manager, Jill Norvelle. As Stewardship Manager, Jill acts as the personal side of the GRACE financial team – handling everything related to donor and supporter acknowledgements and tracking, special events support, development support, and campaign reporting. Jill spent time working in property management, sales, and marketing but once her four kids were old enough she went back to school and got a degree in finance.  “I found out about the job and was excited because I was able to utilize all my previous work experience and of course, my degree,” Jill said. “I love keeping up with all the data and little details…which most people don’t like but I love it,” she added laughing. In her short time with GRACE she’s made a big impact. “Jill does a lot of different stuff for us…she’s our database guru, she keeps track of accounting,

GRACE is more than just an organization that works to better our community, GRACE is a great place to work with a family-like culture and we’d love for you to be a part of it. There’s a lot of different opportunities to choose from in an organization as diverse as ours is. Positions with our programs department, which includes our Community Pantry and our Community Clinic, works directly with those in our area that need help to stay healthy. If retail is more to your liking, we have various positions like sales associates and in-take specialists helping out at Donation Station or our two resale shops, GRACEful Buys Grapevine and Euless.  We are currently hiring for several positions like Seasonal Program Coordinator, Donation Station Production Associate, and Donation Station Warehouse Associate. If you think that you have what it takes, have a passion to help those in need, and would