Similar to the traditional New Year in January, GRACE likes to celebrate in style whenever we bid farewell to one fiscal year and hello to a promising new one, and what better way to accomplish this than by holding a special monthly staff meeting that encompasses the GRACE members and board?
Board members and staff were served a delicious breakfast by Scratch Kitchen to kick off the day. The hardy breakfast staples included biscuits and gravy, hash brown casserole, eggs, blueberry French toast casserole and bacon.
Shonda emphasized throughout the gathering how volunteers, donors and staff have supported local families as they battle with the effects of COVID-19 on the economy.
In addition, Shonda gave a year in review, highlighting the performance of each department.
She reflected on the inaugural post-COVID Gala when no one anticipated the outcome of attendees, yet all exceeded expectations. She also praised the resounding success of this year’s back-to-school fair and the rise in the number of lunches and groceries distributed during the Feed Our Kids and GRACE Grocery Giveaway.
In addition to the meeting, Shonda introduced Susie Howell, GRACE’s newest board president, along with board members Bravis Brown, Duff O’ Dell, and Jeff Netzer.
To conclude the meeting, Shonda hosted a lighthearted game of “GRACE Jeopardy”, in which she provided the answers and the staff had to guess the questions. Example: Answer: 108 and 0. Question: The highest temperature endured by Feed Our Kids volunteers this summer and the number of days we received rain. Answer: Scott Coolbaugh. Question: The Poker champion at the 2022 GRACE Poker Tournament.
Here are a few more stats that GRACE accomplished this past fiscal year:
· 4,264 cars stopped and donated at Donation Station
· 18% in Resale email sign-ups
· There are 4,692 eBay Facebook followers nationwide.
· The Backlot at GRACEful Buys Grapevine sold $263k, making it the #1 sales department.
· 28k units are how many pieces of Home Décor we have sold at Euless and it is the #1 sales department at GRACEful Buys Euless
· The Clinic saw 672 unduplicated patients throughout the year, totaling 5,512 patient visits.
· 2,964 volunteer hours for Clinic in the fiscal year, equating to $152,363 in-kind
· The Food Pantry had a total of 7,027 visitors
· GRACE assisted over 7,000 individuals and over 26,000 that were services provided through client services
· The success rate this fiscal year for 21 households in Transitional Housing is 86%
We want to thank every volunteer, donor, and supporter who made this past fiscal year a success. We could not have completed anything without all of the support from the community.
As we say a fond farewell to one fiscal year, we are eager to enter this new one ready to serve our community in the best way we can. Stay tuned!
