The mild temperatures have only heightened the Christmas Spirit at GRACE Christmas Cottage. GRACE Christmas Cottage opened its doors Tuesday with client-parents coming in to shop for their families. The tireless volunteers at Christmas Cottage are ready to help nearly twice as many clients as in Christmases past. Many generous folks have filled the Christmas Cottage with toys, games and other items to help make shopping easier. Generosity and hope were the watchwords last Monday when the Christmas Cottage open house saw a capacity crowd with every visitor bringing a new unwrapped gift for a child. “Our donors have been shopping since Thanksgiving,’ said Lori Stevens, GRACE Christmas Cottage manager. “But all of the stock will need to be replenished before we close.” Though Christmas Cottage was well-stocked to start, the client-load this week and next will severely depleting the offerings. Christmas Cottage officially closes December 22. “We have toy

  While you are busy donating during Giving Tuesday, and contributing your time, resources and financial contributions throughout the year, this is what you make happen, GRACE Family! During the month of November your support allowed: Community Clinic 53 clinics, 406 patient visits; 18 new patients admitted this month 31 total preventative services 305.1 volunteer hours New nutrition class started and will continue into December Food Pantry 481 Thanksgiving food baskets distributed (including commodities) Christmas food distribution will be December 18 – 20 Friends and Family 72 commodities deliveries for Thanksgiving; our friends were able to choose between smoked, cooked or frozen turkeys Client Services 695 households seen, in which 117 were new Over 557 families signed up for Christmas Cottage Transitional Housing 78 applications sent out to potential Community Based Friends; 18 emails sent to referring to our housing list/resources for women who would qualify for NASH Currently serving

You are cordially invited to join us at the Christmas Cottage Open House Monday, December 9th. Come see just how special the Christmas Cottage experience is. The “Sesame Street” theme is sure to delight young and old alike, and there will be plenty of goodies to go around! Please bring a new, unwrapped toy to add to the Christmas Cottage wares. We could particularly use teen and family gifts (board games and small appliances, etc.) The Cottage is located at 1250 William D. Tate in Grapevine, between JoAnn Fabrics and PetCo (the same location as in 2018). The Children’s Open House (for families and youth groups) begins at 4:00 p.m.– 5:30 p.m. Cookies and punch will be provided, as well as a visit from Santa himself! The Open House program then begins at 5:30 p.m. with special wines and hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Scratch Catering and Fine Foods. GRACE clients

From year after year of sponsorship for GRACE Christmas Cottage to toy drives, Pantry food drives, Gala sponsorship and much more, Park Place Lexus Grapevine has long been a faithful partner to GRACE missions. Once again this year they have generously stepped forward to ensure our Christmas Cottage can brighten the holidays and lighten the load for families struggling within our community. “We care about our community and are glad to provide support to those in need. There are many families who struggle throughout the year, and our members continually look for opportunities to help others.” Dave Evans, Park Place Dealerships Chief Marketing Officer Many thanks go out to the incredible people over at Park Place Lexus. The outpouring of generosity will ensure that families in need all across our community will share in a happy holiday! If you would like to learn more about Park Place and their holiday

  The last of the angels on the tree for adopting senior citizen’s Christmas wishes are available at the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce Office.  Just 21 more angels remain to fulfill the holiday needs of those senior citizens and handicapped individuals who needs a little Christmas Spirit. During the holidays, the Women’s Division of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce spearheads the Christmas Spirit outreach, which fulfills the wish lists of over 100 seniors in our GRACE Friends & Family Program, many who are alone and home bound. The Women’s Division assures they are cared for, and that the season of love includes them, too. Please consider coming by the Chamber (200 Vine Street, Grapevine) and adopting an angel.  You can do it on your own, or make it an office project to buy the gifts, wrap them and return them to the Chamber. Special thanks to the amazing ladies in

The City of Colleyville and the Economic Development Department appreciate the significant contributions made to the City by their existing businesses. Supporting those existing businesses is a primary focus of the Department. GRACE has received a donation from the Nationwide Insurance: Jason Ridley Agency in response to the Colleyville Gives Program launched by the City of Colleyville to benefit businesses affected by the ongoing construction on SH26. The city is encouraging businesses to apply for this program that supports both the local non-profits and the business itself. We would like to take a moment to thank Jason Ridley for thinking of GRACE during the #ColleyvilleGives Program!  Thank you to the City of Colleyville for this creative way to support the needs of our community and thank you Jason for choosing GRACE! “The Colleyville Gives Program provides exceptional organizations like GRACE an opportunity to work with our business community for their

We could use your help!  On Saturday, December 7 and Saturday, December 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. GRACE is hosting a two-day training for anyone who might be interested in volunteering for VITA.  We are still eagerly looking for volunteers. There will be other trainings as we approach the start of VITA but they will most likely be in Ft. Worth or Arlington.  So this would be the most convenient for many people who live in this part of Tarrant County. Please go to mymoneydfw.org or contact Stacy Pacholick to register for the class in advance and receive details of what is necessary before attending the training.  There are a few simple things to know before the training on December 7th. Beginning January 27th, 2020, GRACE will open its doors to families and individuals needing their tax returns completed.  United Way and the City of Ft. Worth train

This time of year we are especially grateful for donations of gently-used and new winter coats and jackets.  We are especially in need of the full range of children’s sizes. As the weather gets cooler, we anticipate a growing number of families needing jackets and coats in various sizes. You can empty your coat closet, ask your friends to bring jackets and coats to your next party, or host a coat drive with your church or community group. As always, a continual pressing need at The Clothing Room is new socks and underwear of all children’s sizes — kid’s underwear sizes 4 through 18 and kid’s socks sizes small, medium and large. If you are part of a civic or small group, this would be an ideal collection that isn’t cumbersome or unfeasible. Thank you in advance for allowing us to give to GRACE clients—great and small! Donations are accepted

GRACE staff members came together for a pre-Thanksgiving celebration this past Wednesday.  Complete with a potluck spread, fall decorations including a cozy fireplace, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving playing on our projectors, it was certainly a special gathering. Most importantly, the time was well spent reflecting upon what matters most: being there for families in our neighborhoods and cities in desperate pursuit of hope.  GRACE couldn’t open our doors a single day without the generosity of the community, so we thank you for enabling us to surge into the holiday season strong, vibrant and eager to serve families in need! At GRACE, we see our individual roles as more of a calling rather than just a job, and our teams work tirelessly throughout the holidays and the year.  Our celebration was a fun opportunity to enjoy some downtime together and get a little silly. An enormous thank you to staff members