Originally from Florida, Rita was raised in the Methodist Church, which instilled in her the belief that while people change, God remains constant. She married her husband, Tony, whom she met during jury duty, and relocated to Texas, where she worked as an Executive Assistant in a small nonprofit. She and Tony have raised five children, four of whom they welcomed through adoption.

Her passion for serving the homeless is deeply rooted in her faith journey and life experiences. Anyone who has heard her testify knows Rita is heartbroken and burdened by the grace of God for the homeless. She started Bags of Grace at her mother’s kitchen table 20 years ago, and what began as one woman’s mission became an organization serving thousands of homeless and inspiring countless other brothers and sisters in Christ into service.

Read Rita’s powerful testimony.

Walt has recently retired from the hospitality industry. During his career, he was vice president of operations for several major hotel management companies, overseeing full-service hotels, resorts, and conference centers throughout the United States. Most recently, he oversaw a portfolio of senior living communities.

Walt and his wife Joyce have been married for 45 years. They have been active Hill Country Bible Church members for 19 years and have been involved with Bags of Grace for the past two years. Waltwhere he has served as an usher and a small group leader.

Walt has been serving with Bags of Grace for the past two years and now chairs the Board of Directors. He also volunteers with Drive A Senior Northwest.

Roneale recently retired from a leadership role at Providence Health & Services, where she supported community relations programs, managed special projects, and had the opportunity to serve in the community she lived and worked in through mission trips to Mexico, participating in the LA homeless count annually, or sewing blankets for the homeless made from donated surgical blankets with a small group of employees after work.

After working with volunteers for over 25 years, Roneale serves as the Board's Vice Chair at Bags of Grace. She is driven by her passion for serving those in need and for volunteer organization and support.

Teresa retired in 2020 from HID Global as Assistant Controller for the Americas. She also held senior accounting/finance manager positions in various industries.

She and her husband Scott of 44 years, are members of Marble Falls Baptist Church. Before their move to the Texas Hill Country, Teresa was a member of Bethany United Methodist Church where she served on various boards such as the Finance Committee, Bethany Foundation, and Board of Trustees.

Teresa has served as Secretary/Treasurer for Bags of Grace for 14 years.

Kevin brings various executive-level experience to Bags of Grace, including Purchasing, Marketing, Merchandising, Operations, Management, and Sales.

Kevin has been married to Lori for 19 years and has two awesome teenagers. He enjoys spending time with friends and family outdoors, hiking, fishing, and bow hunting.

The family is a Hill Country Bible Church member and has been involved with Bags of Grace in various capacities for the past nine years.

Though he will tell you, his wife is the one with the passion for the homeless, Kevin faithfully supports large group assemblies with his expertise in logistics.

Jennifer is a digital marketing coach for non-profits, small businesses, and personal brands.

She enjoys a full life with her law enforcement husband, seven kids, two Visza pups, six bunnies, and the various chickens pecking around her backyard. Formerly at Hill Country Bible Church for many years, her family are now members of Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Jennifer has been hauling her gaggle of kids to Bags of Grace assemblies for ten years and celebrates that her children now love donating their Halloween candy and waiting at stoplights for His glory.

Today, she supports Bags of Grace through her marketing experience.

Labiche grew up in Bombay, India, and migrated to the USA to earn his MS and PhD. He went on to work in Quality Management Systems and Supplier Quality Management in various industry sectors.

He and his wife, Germaine, have lived in Austin since 1995, are blessed with two grown sons, and have been Hill Country Bible Church members since 2002.

Labiche has volunteered with Bags of Grace since 2014. Initially, serving was an easy way to give back. But seeing how the ministry impacted some of the least cared-for people in Austin led him to want to do more - to serve “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28).

Jim retired from the veterinary supplies industry in upper management in operations, purchasing, and logistics. He has worked at over 500 events, including five years at Miller Motorsports Park. He has worked for two Olympics. He was a Logistics Project Manager for the Aquatic Center at the 1996 Summer Olympics and set up the Main Distribution Center for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Jim and his wife Jeanne have been married for 11 years. They have been active Bethany United Methodist Church members for eight years. Jim has coordinated 30 Blood Drives at the church over the last six years and serves on the Administrative Board.

Jim has served for Bags of Grace for seven years. He also volunteers at The Charlie Center, a weekly recipient of 200 Bags of Grace distributed to homeless clients.