Grapevine, Texas, a Community Brimming with Grace

Grapevine, Texas, is a great place to live, work, or visit. There are a myriad of reasons for the city’s appeal, but one of the most prominent is the city’s community spirit. This sense of community is on full display in the work of GRACE and the support the organization receives. GRACE, headquartered in Grapevine, is a nonprofit relief agency established in 1987 to address the urgent needs of individuals and families in crisis across the communities of Tarrant County, including Colleyville and Southlake. Initially conceived by local churches through Grapevine’s Ministerial Alliance, the organization has since evolved into a pivotal community resource. Today, GRACE provides a range of services, including medical aid to uninsured families that do not have access to traditional healthcare, transitional housing, a food pantry, and comprehensive emergency aid.

The varied types of assistance GRACE can offer attest to the community's unity and compassion. GRACE would not have the reach it does without the support of local churches, businesses, and individuals who contribute food, clothing, financial aid, and professional services. A great example of this outpouring of community support is the Feed Our Kids initiative, one of GRACE’s seasonal programs. Feed Our Kids supports families with kids on the free or reduced lunch program by providing a midday meal during the summer months when community schools are out of session. Rebecca Cox, GRACE’s CEO, proudly reported that across multiple Feed Our Kids sites, the organization’s direct costs have been reduced to a part-time coordinator due to the community's generosity with its time, treasures, and talents. In fact, each week of the initiative, a different community organization, including churches, rotary clubs, and other civic organizations, volunteers its support.

Community-building approach

Additionally, Grapevine’s tenacity is reflected in how GRACE structures its programs to promote self-sufficiency. Cox highlighted a community-building approach that aims to move the 700-800 assistant seekers GRACE services monthly out of crisis to a point of stability. An example might be a single mother facing an unexpected rent increase after renewing her lease, and she does not have an extra $300 to cover the increase as she had budgeted just enough to make ends meet. Thus, GRACE would provide some financial assistance. However, in other cases, budget shortfalls are symptomatic of different problems. For example, a family experiencing financial hardship working with a GRACE care manager might determine the root cause of their hardship is food insecurity, presenting as an inability to pay bills. Thus, assistance from the GRACE food pantry would be part of the solution. Working with a care manager to devise a budget plan, the family would be given a voucher to self-select food items that meet their household's cultural and dietary needs.

GRACE’s community-building approach would not be possible without the active involvement of Grapevine’s vibrant business community. The long list includes Classic Chevrolet, Sam Pack's Five Star Subaru, and Wright Construction. Even newcomers to Grapevine’s commercial landscape have been willing to chip in. Rock & Brews, a rock ‘n’ roll-themed chain eatery co-founded by KISS band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, opened its newest location in Grapevine in July. However, Rock & Brews was kind enough to host a charity night to support GRACE before the restaurant's official grand opening.

The altruism demonstrated by the Rock & Brews fundraiser event goes beyond GRACE and KISS's mutual appreciation of using all caps in branding conventions. Instead, it is indicative of the warm, uplifting community that one finds in Grapevine, Texas. This sense of community extends from the city’s residents and businesses to its civic organizations. Ultimately, this example of community solidarity and compassion shows that Grapevine is indeed a city filled to the brim with grace.

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