A Christian nonprofit has opened a new fundraising venue.

Simply Grace Inc., a service organization dedicated to churches and the general public, opened a gift shop in December at the Forsyth Family Center on Samaritan Drive.

The facility, which was originally a hospital, houses a number of nonprofit organizations, including Simply Grace.

Ken Pallone, president of the organization, said it provides faith-based counseling services to individuals struggling with emotional and life issues.

“We’re a 501(c)(3) ministry that provides one-on-one discipleship counseling to adults, teens, children and families,” Pallone said.

He said the clients range from troubled teens and adults overcoming addiction issues to families who are going through divorce or death of a loved one.

“We don’t turn anyone away because of finances and we operate on a donation basis,” he said. “We’re like missionaries who have to provide their own funding, and that’s why we’ve opened our gift shop.”

The small store features various decorative items such as mirrors, framed art and figurines.

“We don’t have much space, so that’s why we’re focused on the smaller items,” said Pallone’s wife, Debbie, who manages the shop.

“We also know that a lot of people can’t give a large monetary donation, but almost everyone has some small item they could give.”

The store is open from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

Besides individual and family counseling, Simply Grace also provides a number of services to churches and other Christian organizations, Ken Pallone said.

“We do a lot of leadership, discipleship and lay counseling training for churches who may want to provide more in-depth help to members going through tough times,” Pallone said. “In a lot of these small churches, the pastors have to do most of that, so it’s good to train others to help out.”

Ken Pallone said Simply Grace has been in Forsyth County since 2003. It has five full-time employees and several part-time volunteers.

Since its opening, he estimated nearly 1,000 people have received some sort of service from the facility. Ken and Debbie Pallone hope the gift shop will be a success.

“So far it’s been kind of slow,” Ken Pallone said. “We have very competitive prices for these sorts of items and it’s for a great cause, so we’re hoping the word will get out soon.”