Home for the Holidays: Giving Grace
“Christmas time is here,
Happiness and cheer;
Fun for all that children call,
Their favorite time of year.”
“Christmas time is here,
Families drawing near;
Oh, that we could always see,
Such spirit through the year.”
The Vince Guaraldi Trio song, “Christmas Time is Here,” is a favorite to listen to during Christmas. Made popular in A Charlie Brown Christmas, it never fails to bring a certain warmth every time you listen. With floating broken chords, the main melody of this song is deeply memorable.
But while for most of us, Christmas brings feelings of joy, hope, and wonder, many people around us do not experience the delight of Christmas.
Last week we celebrated A Night of Hope, where we heard profoundly moving stories of transformation. We heard stories of resilience, patience, compassion, and the redeeming power of love.
And now, as we move into the Christmas season, we invite you to join us as we launch our end-of-year fundraising campaign to support those who need hope and joy in their lives during this Christmas season.
What is Home for the Holidays?
Home for the Holidays is our campaign to raise funds to help families experiencing homelessness or housing instability through our continuum of care. It also enables us to collect gifts for all Giving Grace families.
Currently, in Denton County, we have over 34 families experiencing literal homelessness. Literal homelessness is when a family lacks a fixed and regular nighttime residence. Last year we had about three to four families going through unsheltered homelessness, but this year we see as many as 13 families a month. Unsheltered homelessness is when a family resides in parks, cars, sidewalks, or abandoned buildings.
These families have little to no resources available, and Christmas is just another day on the calendar. In fact, it brings even greater stress for families as they are faced with knowing they are not providing the Christmas they would like to for their children. We would love to be able to provide gifts for every one of them. We will be hosting a Christmas Gift Drive for Christmas to help ensure all of our families can gift something special to their children. As we have seen a massive increase in homelessness in the City of Denton, we are inviting the community to come together and partner with us to help these families and support Giving Grace as we take on assisting more families.
Your donations and gifts will be available to our Giving Grace Families at our Christmas Event on December 11, 2022. Our families can come and “shop” (for free) for Christmas gifts for their children. We are expecting about 50 families. We would love to be able to bless every family with gifts for every little child.
Thank You to Our Sponsor: Chrissy Mallouf
The Chrissy Mallouf Real Estate Group is our presenting sponsor of Home for the Holidays. Chrissy has lived in the Denton community for over 32 years and has become an integral part of Denton’s fabric. Chrissy is married to John, and they have two beautiful children. She has been the number 1 buyer’s agent at Keller Williams Realty, Denton, for many years. When Chrissy is not a super mom or a top-producing realtor, you will find Chrissy giving back to the community by serving on several nonprofit boards. Chrissy loves her community and uses every opportunity to give back as much as she can.
Toys Our Families Love:
LOL Surprise Toys
Science Experiment Kits
Art Supplies & Craft Sets
Jewelry Making Kits
Nerf Rival Guns
Remote Control Cars or Drones
Karaoke Microphone / Machine
Makeup, Nail Polish, Hair and Skin Care Items
Boys & Girls Teen Hoodies: Sizes Adult Small - XL
Boys & Girls Teen Joggers: Sizes Adult Small - XL
Bluetooth Wireless Speakers
Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds
Amazon Fire Tablets
Gift Cards: Target, Academy, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo, Roblox
How to Donate Gifts:
Drop off toys at the Giving Grace office (306 N Loop 288 STE 112, Denton, TX 76209) during the week. Office Hours: 9am-5pm. If it's a bulk drop off, contact Jennifer Richmond at jenniferr@givinggrace.org.
Drop off toys on December 8th between 10am-12pm at Argyle United Methodist Church: 9033 Fort Worth Dr, Argyle, TX 76226
Don’t have time to go shopping or drop off gifts? We also have an Amazon wish list where the items can be directly shipped to us. Use the QR code below to shop on Amazon.
Scan the QR code to shop the Amazon wish list for Christmas.
About Giving Grace:
Giving Grace is a nonprofit organization that transforms lives by providing resources, relationships, and community with the love of Jesus to address the underlying causes of homelessness and housing instability in Denton County.
