Grace Bridge receives $1,000 boost from CBS News Texas 11 Days of Giving for faith-based assistance
CELINA — Carter Morris doesn't seem like a man who meets a stranger. He is a Tennessee native who has lived in Texas long enough that no one would ever know the difference.
The youth pastor turned CEO recalled searching for a volunteer opportunity for his church youth when the framework for Grace Bridge first took shape in 2006. Morris said 10-15 kids helped with the Jim Owens Celina Christian Men's Fellowship.
The Christian business leaders would hold Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday drives. Morris said the men held canned food drives at the local schools, collected money to buy turkeys for those in need, and the local egg farm donated eggs to the families.
Five years later, Morris said a business partner and friend asked him a challenging question about their work.
"And he said, well, what happens to these families the other 10 months out of the year?" Morris said. "And so the idea was born to let's do this on a regular basis."
In the spring of 2011, Grace Bridge started a food pantry for Celina. Food was distributed on the first and third Saturdays. Morris' volunteers gave away food, and personal care items, and expanded into clothing through a resale store.
"We would build a Grace Bridge in the community by bringing together the school district, the city principalities, the for-profit world, and the faith-based community through the churches to impact the community and make a difference and affect change in the lives of the families that we were with every day," he said.
Their reach extends beyond Denton and Collin counties. The depth of what's being offered pushes past the limits of Gunter, Celina, and Prosper.
"What I found, personally, that people need the most is—they need to know that they're loved," Morris said.
He said they serve close to 10,000 people annually, a massive jump from fewer than 200 when Grace Bridge started. The nonprofit's services don't require baptism or church membership but offer relationships based on God's word. Morris is a pulpit by need and on demand.
"And when they are met with kindness and dignity and respect and that love that is not explainable," he said. "Because there's no reason why two perfect strangers should love each other."
Grace Bridge can feed a family of four for a month for $45. Morris said he could need the same services one day, so he ensures that people, especially men, are greeted with comforting grace.
Morris also runs The Master Cares in Uganda, Africa. Donations are used to build water wells, of which 120 have been built so far. The organization also has a Christian school where students get their education and learn about Jesus Christ.
The Master Cares has also developed a vocational school to teach Africans vocational skills like sewing, ranching, and harvesting eggs on its ranch.
"Basically, equip them with opportunities that can change the course of their lives," he said. "Now they have a chance to provide for their family on an ongoing basis because they've learned best farming practices. They've learned how to take care of chickens and sell eggs, which eggs are great to eat, but they're really a strong commodity in Uganda."
Morris said his wife and children have grown into giving. It's what they do, but the charge is not to remember his name.
"You know, if there's one name that I hope people always remember, it's the name of Jesus," Morris said.
Grace Bridge is the physical manifestation of what he believes as a Christian, "Loving his neighbor as he does himself."
Disaster recovery is where people get to see that in action, too. Grace Bridge has been there from the deadly tornado of Memorial Day 2024 to the Lancaster tornado to Hurricane Harvey.
"At the end of the day, I'm just a servant," he said. "Let's go."
CBS News Texas partners Tom Thumb and Albertsons are giving Grace Bridge $1,000 to assist in continuing their effort.