Center of Grace Blog

            This will be my fourth spring at Center of Grace Community Garden.  Other gardens have been popping up all over town during the past few years, but this is my favorite.  This one is special.             Although there might be bigger gardens, Center of Grace has character—sort of reminds me of a picnic blanket spread out on a sunny bit of park lawn.  A…

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Center of Grace March 1, 2023 KC Scholars partners with Center of Grace Guiding individuals on the journey from student to scholar.   Olathe, Kansas, March 1, 2023. KC Scholars and the Center of Grace announced today that the organizations have entered into a strategic partnership that will provide a centralized location for individuals in,…

  What skills does a banker need? Counting money, figuring interest and understanding the qualifications for loans and mortgages are important of course. But the number one qualification is people skills. After all, bankers are here to help people. Carla McCormally has taken the skills she honed as a banker and transferred them to the Center of Grace to make…

Here at the Center of Grace, a modern-day individual embodies the spirit of St. Nicholas and symbolizes the heart of Santa Claus. Don Ratzlaff has shared his timeless talent of shaping wood into beautiful gifts for the Center of Grace through the Visit with Santa event for more than a decade!

Supporting the Center of Grace has been a way of life for me for about 20 years – most of that time volunteering for the food ministry, driving the bus for ESL, and numerous other activities.  I also gave financially, then I discovered a way to give that was both supporting their programs and helping me income tax wise.  I…

“My name is Justin Thomas. I work for Cerner Corporation in Kansas City. When you have been with the company for seven years, you get a Sabbatical, which involves an entire month away from work! One of the weeks needed to involve professional development or community service, so I decided to help the Center of Grace. I worked with another volunteer, Gary,…

Here’s what one of our wonderful volunteers had to say about Center of Grace recently. Thank you, Kathie! “My first involvement with Center of Grace was with their Wednesday night suppers several years ago. All these neighbors and friends, waiting patiently for a sit-down meal; they were so thankful, so friendly and pretty excited to see what was on the menu!…

There were tears of relief when an older woman received the help she needed to safely stay in her home, thanks to the Center of Grace. Christa, who lives on her own in Section 8 Housing in Olathe, is trying her best to survive on her monthly Social Security income. However, some months are tough, and she has to pick…

People have many different needs and sometimes the Center of Grace staff must be innovative and creative to help out! Mayeli, a single parent with two children, came to the Center of Grace for hygiene products like shampoo and dish soap. While she was there, she discovered the Center of Grace also had diapers. What a miracle, she thought. Just…

Mending hurting hearts is one of the miracles that happen every day at the Center of Grace. Cindy lives and works in OIathe, but barely has enough to live on. On the other side of town, her daughter and granddaughter also struggle to make ends meet. One of the sacrifices they make is not buying basic hygiene products like laundry…

Even in the mist of the pandemic, 2020 was an incredible and blessed year. With the generosity of many donors we were able to: • Served over 22,198 meals. Also, as an aid for families, we distributed 6,000 boxes of produce from May-August. • Provided free clothing to families. • Served individuals with free health screenings • Helped Olathe school…