Grapevine nonprofit GRACE seeks urgent donations ahead of holiday season

GRACE, Grapevine’s local food pantry and assistance center, has issued a red alert for donations ahead of the holiday season, according to a press release.

CEO Shonda Schaefer said the nonprofit organization has already served double the amount of families compared to previous years. It is now looking for donations and volunteers to help ahead of Christmas.

“Our reserves are drastically below previous years, so we are already cutting back the number of gifts each child will receive in order to make sure each child is taken care of,” Schaefer wrote in the release. “At this point, I am concerned about the number of toys and gifts we have even getting us through the next critical 15 days.”

Here are ways the public can help:

Providing toys by:

• Printing the Christmas Toy Wish List
• Buying gifts online and delivered to the Cottage: Wal-Mart Wish List and Amazon Wish List
• Hosting a “Safe” Toy Drive in your neighborhood, office or church. Contact Toy Drive for assistance: [email protected]

Volunteering:

• Sign up for Christmas Cottage Volunteers
• Sign up for Donation Station Volunteers
• Sign up for Food Pantry Volunteers

Financial contribution:

Donations can be made online to support GRACE families who are struggling.

"Finally, I am seeking prayers of support, guidance, wisdom, and strength for the GRACE staff. This has been a grueling year and our team is running on empty.” Schafer wrote. “Hearing the unbearable strain our client families are under and addressing the increased volume of new clients have weakened even our most seasoned staff.”