Last week we marked the successful completion of the 19th year of Feed our Kids and the 8th year of GRACE Grocery Giveaway. Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who make our summer food programs happen! Across 6 different sites in Grapevine you served 34,265 lunches over an 11-week period this summer! WOW!
The sparkle in the eyes and smiles on the faces of our kids, their families and all of our volunteers tell the best story each day. The summer heat was relentless with 32 days over 100 degrees, yet everyone remained eager and ready to serve. Feed our Kids site coordinators go out of their way to ensure our kids have delicious, balanced meals and always bring the fun and smiles. The games, activities, special treats, decorated lunch bags and even recipe cards for the lunch served make the difference in the days of our kids and families.
GRACE Grocery Giveaway is our weekly food market held in partnership with Tarrant Area Food Bank. Each palette delivered includes fresh produce, meats, dairy products and a variety of grains. Our volunteers work tirelessly to set up and manage a farmer’s market style shopping experience for the families within our community. This summer we served 1,028 households and over 4,717 individuals at the 8 markets open for 1 hour at a time each Thursday. We are proud of our partnership to help bring food closer to those within our community where access to fresh food and produce is limited.
In addition, our partnership with Tarrant Area Food Bank now includes White’s Chapel Methodist Church and their amazing Mobile Market. This exciting new partnership begins its 4th month and will continue throughout the year! The continued offering in addition to the mobile market occurring in the evening allows us to reach even more individuals within our community.
Our deep appreciation extends to our surrounding community for all the support provided to ensure the success of our summer programs. Our volunteers who serve, site hosts who allow us to welcome and serve hundreds of meals weekly on their property and the dozens of area restaurants who work hard to meet the increased demand our lunch program asks on those special menu days!
GRACE relies on the support of each one of you to help us fulfill our mission. Thank you for your continuous support of our Seasonal Programs. Despite the current thermometer reading, Christmas Cottage planning has begun. Hope to see you this holiday season! For more information, please contact Beth Chernik, Seasonal Programs Coordinator, at bchernik@gracegrapevine.org
