With the holidays in full swing, and a new year on the horizon, we wanted to take a moment to say another massive THANK YOU to everyone who supports the GRACE mission. Whether you’ve donated money, toys, food, expertise, or time, our vital programs and services continue thanks to you – and this doesn’t even cover half of what our amazing supporters give throughout the year.
When we meet new people for the first time – those who are unfamiliar with GRACE – we are often asked, “So, what is it that you do here?” The short answer is that we serve our neighbors – we give as we have received to help those in need. But how do we do it? We’d like to take the time to give you an idea of just how many lives have been changed by GRACE this year!
In 2023, GRACE has helped over 10,500 individuals – this is an increase of over 40% from 2022!. Families were served by the GRACE Pantry over 11,000 times throughout 2023, in total receiving over $1 million in food! Over 360 families were able to stay in their homes thanks to assistance with rent, and just over 600 received assistance with utilities.
Over 1,800 people received much needed clothing for their families, and 34,265 meals were provided to children through the Feed Our Kids program, who otherwise would’ve been without lunch during school breaks. Twenty-three unhoused families were able to gain a place to live through the Transitional Housing program – altogether that’s 55 individuals, 30 of whom are children!
The GRACE Community Clinic was as busy as ever this year as well, seeing a total of over 5,600 visits (that’s 617 unique patients!). This Clinic offers many services, but here’s a sample of just a few – over 400 vaccines were administered, nearly 150 mammograms were received, and almost 200 women received their well women’s exams. We are so thankful to our partnering physicians and hospitals for helping make over 700 clinics possible this year.
So, what do we do here at GRACE? Well, we do whatever it takes to help those in our community who are experiencing hardships and crises. These numbers are a reflection of just how far a donation goes and once again, is proof that we couldn’t do it without your support. As we prepare to enter 2024, on behalf of everyone here at GRACE – thank you!
