GROCERIES FOR FAMILIES

Supporting families affected by the pandemic with food, hygiene items, and other necessities

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/19/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/19/20

Groceries for Families: Week 9 - Day 2

Today seemed to have lots and lots happening in the AM and PM, with incoming deliveries and outgoing orders with families. Yet, the staff all agreed it was very smooth, with the timing of everything clicking very well. Some days don’t do that, but this one just rolled along nicely. The weather was very pleasant, with the sun poking through just enough. With rain coming this week, it was nice to be dry one more day.

Groceries today came from Cornerstone, Creekside Covenant, Westminster Chapel, Crossroads Bible, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 161 orders were brought and all went out to families today, including 15 by delivery. Thanks to everyone who came this morning. It’s great to see so many happy people dropping off groceries, delighted to be serving. Thank you!

Laundry detergent was available for a second day today and, of course, was very popular. It is awesome to provide this important item. Thank you to all who donated over the past two weeks to accumulate enough.

Tuesday is a busy day behind the scenes portioning out the bulk ingredient items for later in the week. There is a small army working for a number of hours scooping rice, sugar, salt and beans. (Yesterday was flour day.) The bins are filling and will be ready for outflow on Thursday.

We are doing a simple survey of all the families this week, asking for their best estimate of how many weeks they could use this support. Daniel, who is fluent in English and Spanish, is talking to each family in line, using an IPad to track the results. We’ll be using this information as part of the assessment of what to do with this program after June 13. More to come on that…

A few quick personal stories from Ken:

There is a woman who comes regularly on Tuesday and Fridays. She has a special needs son who will be graduating from Bellevue High School this year. She is very friendly and always grateful for the support she’s given. Her son, evidently, is quite picky about what he eats. So, she regularly unpacks the grocery bags to give back what she knows they won’t use. We’ve learned the cereal he likes (Raisin Bran) and the butter (unsalted), so are able to custom her orders a little bit so they can use more. It’s fun to do this for her. Today, she and I were chatting while she went through the market. She told me how hard things are for them right now and this program is a bright spot in their lives. By providing them groceries, hygiene items and extra food she is stretching their money to fully cover rent, which is a huge relief to her. This exact example is a key goal for this program, so it was wonderful to hear it is working. Real lives, impacted. She also noted that her groceries today came from Crossroads Bible Church, as written on the side, which is near her home. She loved that!
A boy about 12 and his aunt came through today, which turned out to be their first time, having just been added from the wait list. As I carried their groceries, it was clear there wasn’t a car we were walking toward. The boy told me they were calling his mom to come with the car. He and his aunt had ridden their bikes to Jubilee, not knowing they would get two bags of groceries and a bag of hygiene items. They couldn’t get home with it all on the bikes. Then I took him to the market, so he ended up with another box of food. They were surprised and delighted. I watched them load the bags into the car and the pedal away toward home. I assume they’ll be back on Friday, their next scheduled day, and wonder if they will use the bike or the car. 😊

Someone asked at the end of the day if today was a good day. It feels like every day is a good day, honestly. The operation runs well. The staff is motivated. The shoppers are timely. The families are happy. Yet, it always seems to feel like the bigger goals are also met: families feel loved and cared for by the community, churches and community members are serving together, people don’t feel alone, and many more which go unseen. Thank you for all you all do to make this possible. It feels so good to do this together.

Keep going! Don’t slow down! It is working!

Peace,

Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/18/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/18/20

Groceries for Families: Week 9 - Day 1

Today begins week 9, and it’s great to be on this adventure with you all. This morning was busy, busy with many deliveries of groceries, diapers, and bulk items. It was controlled chaos, with everyone just staying focused until it was all smoothed out. Thank you to everyone who was here today! The weather was just great, which always sets a good mood.

Groceries were provided today by 24-Seven, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Sacred Heart, Lighthouse, Bellevue Presbyterian, Rain City, CityHill, and Common Good churches. A total of 159 grocery orders were brought here and all went out to families, including 17 by delivery. Thank you!

So many diapers have been arriving, including a diaper drive-by BelPres Church, that we had to rearrange the storage area in the Big Room. Liz and Lois spent this morning moving all the boxes, finishing just in time for more to be added.

Truly, it is so much better now in the new space. Thank you to everyone who has been donating!

Last week we were introduced to a contact at Sysco of Seattle, which opened a new door for bulk food donations. This morning at 7:00am a Sysco semi-truck pulled into the Jubilee REACH parking lot bringing five pallets of chips and juice. It is now in a board room just off the lobby and will go out to families all week. Sysco will be bringing donations once per week and will bring whatever they can for variety. Thank you!

A few quick personal stories to share from Ken:

Part of my role is to greet people, welcome them, and ask them how their families are doing. It goes a long way toward building relationships. There are lots of faces I know and a few names. Today, a woman was in line for the market who is a regular and is always very friendly and happy. As she responded to me, it was clear something wasn’t right. The answer to how her family is doing was very flat. Coming closer, she started to cry and shared her mother had just passed away in Mexico. She simply went to sleep and woke up again in heaven. She last saw her on FaceTime the day before, as they did every day. Being with her, even for a brief moment, in her grief, made me realize real life is still going on for these families. Even with the concern of food and COVID-19, there is real life, like the passing of an 83-year-old mother thousands of miles away. It was a blessing to share that moment with her.

There is a mother and 10-year-old daughter who have been coming for 2-3 weeks. They’re not Hispanic and wear clothing which tells me they are Muslim, so they stand out a bit. The mother is very quiet and can be very, very unpleasant. Her actions and words have come across to me as selfish. For example, she doesn’t feel like she should stand in line like everyone else. It’s also clear they aren’t thrilled with the groceries provided. I will admit to not feeling very hospitable to her. Today, I vowed to change my attitude and work to build a bridge. As they were in line, perhaps 30 from the front, I greeted them like everyone else. When they got near the front, I approached them and asked if there were any specific food items I could watch out for them to collect. The mother said her husband told her to just bring everything in the groceries. Clarifying, I asked what they want more of. She said they really only eat vegetables and prefer anything green. Everything else, they share with other families in their community. Going inside the market storage area, I found 4 green peppers, some onions, and small potatoes. As I handed it to them, they lit up with smiles. The young daughter was very excited. You’d think I gave them some incredible gift. I told them I would watch for more vegetables for them. Now, the mom was very friendly. She smiled (though the mask), thanked me, and said she’d see me Thursday. A bridge seems to have been built and a friendship started. I’m looking forward to Thursday, now. Really cool feeling.

Thanks for all your prayers for these families and this program. Please pray that the virus stays away from this place. We work hard to keep safety and health in mind always.

Thank you for all you’re doing to support these dear members of the community.

Have a great evening,
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/16/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/16/20

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 6

The rain persisted all day but never got heavy, thankfully. As you know, Saturday’s are very tight as we aim to receive all the groceries and serve all the families between 9am-12pm. Today went very smoothly, thanks to prompt delivery people and a crew working quickly. We opened on time at 10am and had a steady flow of families all morning.

Groceries today were delivered by Bellevue Presbyterian, Victory Court, and Evangelical Chinese churches. A total of 140 orders were brought and all went out to families today, including 6 by delivery. It’s great when a day balances just right for groceries available to families that come. Thank you, everyone!

Thanks to everyone who has been donating chicken all week. We had enough frozen to give two breasts to every family, which is the weekly goal. With Costco no longer permitting us to buy chicken in bulk, it took many, many people bringing chicken to make this possible. So great! Thank you.

The market was open today and full of good things for families to choose from. Much of it comes from the “extras” included with the grocery orders. Thank you to all who contribute to the extra items.

Many, many personal hygiene items were delivered yesterday and today. The pantry is getting full again, anticipating the first half of next week for distribution. You can see the picture attached showing the front lobby already stocked well for Monday. Enough laundry soap (liquid and pods) were donated the past two weeks that we will be able to give each family 20 pods this coming week. Every family accepts this item and needs it badly. This is the 3rd time we’ve been able to provide this extra item, and it is so important. Thank you to everyone who continues to bring these. We hope to do it as often as possible.

Today ended the bulk ingredient half of the week. There are some fun stats looking at the first 8 weeks of this program. Here is what has been passed out to families cumulatively:

Flour- 1057 bags or 2591 lbs
Rice- 1401 bags or 3503 lbs
Pinto Beans-1233 bags or 1480 lbs
Sugar- 1535 bags or 1459 lbs
Salt- 1066 bags or 693 lbs
Laundry Pods- 462 bags or 9240 loads of laundry + 125-150 liquid soap containers

As with each Saturday, here’s a look at statistics to date after 8 weeks:

Program Days: 48
Families currently in the program: 592+
People in these families: 2664 (approximate)
Grocery orders provided: 5650
Churches & Organizations engaged: 27
Different shoppers participating: 985 (approximate)

Today is the last day of week 8 of this community support program. When this initially started, the commitment was 8 weeks, so we would be ending today. As you know, the program has extended another 4 weeks. We will be evaluating again in the coming week about what to do after June 13.

It's hard to believe it has been 8 weeks, yet feels like a short time looking back. There is so much joy and love running through this program from all sides. It’s difficult to feel tired and weary when doing such meaningful service with so many other people in the community. Thank you for this most recent great week and the wonderful eight weeks walked together. It takes all of us to make this happen and the results are simply wonderful.

Tomorrow is a day of rest.
Be back Monday.

Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/15/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/15/20

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 5

Today was busy, busy, busy…all day long. It was fine and in control, but busy nevertheless. Deliveries were constant this morning. Families came all afternoon. It wasn’t until about 4pm that things seemed to calm down. Both the AM and PM crews worked hard and were tired. Some days are just like that. Whew!

Groceries today were delivered by Crossroads Bible, Evangelical Chinese, Covenant Presbyterian, Westminster Chapel, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 152 orders were brought and all of them went out to families today, including 18 by delivery. Thank you to all who donated today! Families have food because of you.

Lots, lots and lots of diapers and hygiene items rolled into. The pantry is filling up, getting ready for Monday. Thank you for sustaining that shopping effort. It matters and is counted on weekly.

Thank you!

Box lunches were delivered by the Bellevue School District again today, donated by Microsoft. Most of the turkey/cheese and ham/cheese lunches went to families. We have about 30 remaining, which are in the coolers to go out tomorrow. Thank you!

The food truck is here, as this entry is being typed. Families were given vouchers this afternoon, to return this evening for dinner. It’s fun to see the same faces as were here this afternoon. Thank you. If you haven’t had dinner, please come. It’s open until 7pm.

An email to share with you. From Ken, we greet this lady each Monday and Thursday. She is first in line. Her English is very limited, but she is very happy. She repacks all her groceries on a small luggage pull-cart to take home. We know her well.

Dear Daniel,

We are all students of Jubilee REACH’s ESL program. We still have a piece of land in the Jubilee garden.

At the end of April, my wife went to Jubilee's field to plant Sun choke. The weather is not very good. It's raining. She went to the office building to shelter from the rain. It happens that your team is distributing groceries. You also make an application for her. At the same time, because my English is not good, You called my wife on Monday specifically. My wife lost your call, but I know this call is from Ms. Doris office , so I call back to contact you. This is my luck. We have a talk about your team and you tell us the time and matters needing attention. Thank you very much for you help!

The biggest difficulty since the outbreak of Covid-19 was the purchase of vegetables. The nearest supermarkets are QFC and Walmart. It is difficult for us to buy vegetables, especially to bring them home. My wife and I are over 80 years old and still can't drive. We must walk.

Thank you for your help, you helped us save a lot of money, and there are not many items distributed by you but it will be last us a week. The vegetable is very fresh . the groceries are very practical. We like.

We hope you can do this it as long as possible, at least continue to be able to take the bus without worrying.

Thank you again! Good people live a safe life.

Hopefully, you don’t take the thanks showered upon you daily through this entry as trivial or meaningless. The thanks cannot be stressed enough for what so many people are doing to sustain this program. It is heartfelt and intended to be new every time. Thank you! My heart bursts with joy and tears as each day unfolds. This program is simply beautiful from all angles.

Enjoy the warmth of the evening,

Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/14/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/14/20

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 4

Today was very similar to yesterday. Even the weather was the same – cool in the morning with the nice sun coming out just in time for 1:00pm. The pace today was busy but calm. With seven churches delivering groceries, there was a lot of activity in the morning. Families started lining up at 12:15pm and kept us busy right to 3:00pm

Groceries today came from Overlake Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Bellevue Presbyterian, Redeemer, Kalos, Sacred Heart, and Doxa churches. A total of 150 were delivered and all went out to families, including 14 by delivery. The last order was picked up at 3:10pm, and, fortunately, no one else came later, as we were out of groceries. Thank you for a great day!

Bulk food ingredients were offered today, as is always the case Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Families can choose from Pinto Beans, Rice, Flour, Sugar, and Salt. Sticks of butter are added to all orders. Families can bring a container for cooking oil any day. The goal is to give them common ingredients with which they can cook and bake. We get great feedback from families regularly. Thank you to those who donated these items!

Frozen chicken is being given to each family Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This has been much harder for us to acquire in bulk in the last two weeks. Thank you to everyone who has been bringing fresh and frozen chicken all week. It looks like we have enough right now to give everyone the much-needed protein. Thank you!

Box lunches arrived early today from the Bellevue School District and were offered to families in the market. We’ve learned a better way to give box lunches out is to station a Spanish speaking crew member at the parking lot exit. This person is Rosario, and she is wonderful at passing out at least half the lunches taken in a day. Thank you to her for standing out there for two hours twice a week. Thank you to the BSD and Microsoft for the lunches!

A food truck will be in the Jubilee REACH parking lot tomorrow from 4-7pm serving Mediterranean food. A church is sponsoring vouchers for the families, distributed in the morning, to invite them back for dinner. If you can also come for dinner, it would be great to give the truck more business. The goal is to feed the families and give the truck some much needed revenue. Cash customers are welcome, so consider yourself invited.

A few emails from families to share:

Buenos dias y mil gracias por todo el trabajo que ustedes hacen por la comunidad por todo el apoyo que mi familia y muchas familias recibimos. Y sobre todo ese excelente detalle que tubieron para las mama esta semana pasada. Fue muy bonito recibir Flores y chocolates, mas por las que somos mamas solas con hijos que no trabajan DIOS le bendiga.

Good morning and a thousand thanks for all the work you are all doing for the community, for all the support my family and many families are receiving. And above all, that excellent thought you had for the moms last week. It was really beautiful receiving flowers and chocolates, especially because we're moms who are alone with children who don't work. God bless you.

En estos momentos dificiles estan ustedes Aqui para ayudarnos con nuestra despensa. Y gracias tambien por ayudarnos con la renta. Estamos agradecidos y bendecidos. Muchisimas Gracia por su tiempo y dedicacion. Que Dios les de muchas bendiciones. Y los mantengan de Buena Salud a ustedes y su familia.

In these difficult moments you guys are here to help us with our groceries. And thank you for helping us with our rent. We are thankful and blessed. Thank you for your time and dedication. May God give you many blessings. And keep you in good health to you and your family.

Here is the second email we’ve received of someone being able to sustain themselves, so exiting the program:

Hola! Buenas tardes. Quiero agradecer por toda la ayuda que me han brindado en momentos muy difíciles muchas gracias a todos. Voy a recibir beneficios para comprar comida entonces no necesitaré más comida.Dios me los bendiga y proteja.

Hello! Good afternoon. I want to thank you for all the help you have given me in these very difficult moments. Many thanks to all. I am going to receive benefits to shop for food so I will not be needing more groceries. God bless you and protect you.

It is clear many of the goals/hopes/dreams of this program are being met. Families are receiving food. Families can use their food budget for things like rent, power, gas. Families can feel secure that food will come, so can worry about other stresses in their lives. Our hope is families also feel loved by this community, with no strings attached. May they know people around them care and are here to support them in this tremendous time of need. May they feel hope, encouragement, and a belief that they can make it through this crisis. May they know that many, many people are praying for them. May they know God loves them and is with them in this crisis.

Thank you for your continued participation and dedication to sustaining this community support necessity. It feels exactly where we all should be.

Sleep well and peace,

Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/13/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/13/20

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 3

Today was great! It was very busy and very smooth all day long. Even the country music playing inside the Jubilee REACH Center lobby seemed better today…all the great songs were played! The sunshine came out at just the right time, which allowed for short sleeves and welcomed warmth. The initial line of families was much shorter than normal, as it can sometimes spread the length of the property. Today, it was just a steady arrival, which was great operationally.

Bellevue Christian Reformed Church Delivery

Groceries today were delivered by Highland Covenant, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Bellevue Presbyterian, and St. Louise churches. A total of 152 orders were brought and all went out to families today, including 14 by delivery. Thank you for all the coordination and effort to bring the groceries in such a timely and organized manner. It is so fun to chat with people dropping off each day. Thank you!

We didn’t think a market would be possible or necessary today, as there wasn’t sufficient extra food and items to make it worth it. We don’t want to open the market if only a small number of families can benefit.

Over the morning, Awakening Church arrived with three carloads of food donated by Union Gospel Mission and picked up by Awakening Church at the UGM Kent warehouse. Suddenly, we had fresh gallons of milk, hard-boiled eggs, guacamole, tomatoes, potatoes, red onion, and Trader Joe’s yogurt. Hastily, we set up the market, and it turned out to be one of the coolest yet because the food available was so unusual. Thank you Casey, Jonah, and Awakening Church!

Today was the final day of the week for personal hygiene items. They are all very popular, and it’s great to see such things going home with families. Thanks to all who keep the pantry filled! Tomorrow will begin the bulk food distribution, which is equally popular.

A few stories to share:

Melissa Slater of the Bellevue School District came for a tour today at 10:00am. She has been one of our awesome main contacts to bring school district families into the program. It was great to have her in the building. Here’s an email she sent this afternoon:

“I was so impressed seeing Jubilee’s Grocery Program in action today. Your staff is always on the move to ensure items are where they need to be for families. Your volunteers come in like clockwork, generously delivering food and hygiene items to help people they don’t know. As I think about the difference you have made for specific families and how you are filling a need we cannot…well, I just can’t thank you enough. You are providing a critical service for our students and families that need it most. Thank you to you, to your staff and to your volunteer community who continue to put others first every day. You are all AWESOME!”

A week ago, you may remember a story on this summary email about a Grandma who received the Mother’s Day gifts and was overcome with emotion to the point of sobbing. Today, she sought me out with a huge smile. She introduced herself (her English is quite good) and wanted to explain herself from last week. She simply said the gift was so unexpected, that is completely caught her off guard. It has been so long since she had been given flowers, that it instantly touched her heart. The emotion just came up quickly inside her, and she couldn’t hold it in. Today she was just beaming and was able to express her gratitude for the gifts. It was so nice to reconnect with her in this way. What a nice bookend to that sweet story.

If you have any stories, thoughts, feelings or the like to share, please email it to me at kenc@jubileereach.org, so it can be shared in these daily entries. There are so many positive things happening; it would be great to let people hear about them. Send them!

Thanks for a great day. Please pray for these families and for the health of the staff here. We are focused on best health practices to minimize all risks, but prayer is needed.

Have a great evening,

Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Groceries for Families began in March 2020 to serve families financially affected by the pandemic. Over 25 organizations and churches have partnered with Jubilee REACH to provide families with groceries, hygiene items, and supplies.

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