GRACE volunteers conducted hard-hat tours of GRACE's expanded facility with the public Oct. 16, revealing office spaces that will service as satellite offices for new partnerships. GRACE, which stands for the Grapevine Relief and Community Exchange, is a nonprofit relief agency that provides food, clothing, financial assistance and other necessities to people who are struggling with a limited income or recent emergency. Executive Director Shonda Schaefer said that while GRACE provides its direct services and can also refer clients for other needs, the new space at 837 E. Walnut St., Grapevine, will allow partnerships with organizations that specialize in assisting people in crisis situations. "There are some agencies that are out there that are really specific on certain issues and have really mastered it," Schaefer said. "They know all the ins and outs, and they have all the experts; they have the programming and the equipment and the capability to do some really impactful work in some very specific areas. So this space will allow us to let them come here and do those programs for our community." These organizations include One Safe Place, which operates as a justice center for women looking to escape domestic violence. It is headquartered out of Fort Worth, but a case manager will be on staff at the new GRACE facility full-time once it opens to help women overcome any obstacles that might prevent them from leaving a dangerous situation. "There's about 70 collaborative partners that this new space will allow us to work stronger with, which means more services for this community," Schaefer said. On the tour guests were able to see the newly repaired and renovated space for the food pantry and community clinic, which was damaged in an April fire, as well as the main office building and the service wing. The expansion should be complete by Dec. 1 and will rehouse all of the GRACE services fully under one roof. "This is years of dreaming and getting to this point," Schaefer said. "It’s an exciting time."