GROCERIES FOR FAMILIES

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 6/2/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 6/2/20

Groceries for Families: Week 11 - Day 2

There was a lot going on here today, much of which felt like it involved carrying heavy things. Whew! The weather was perfect for such a busy day: overcast and cool, with just a touch of rain. We put a few canopies out for the sun but ended up needing them for the rain. Weird. Overall, it was a very satisfying day, with lots of food going out to families.

There was a lot going on here today, much of which felt like it involved carrying heavy things. Whew! The weather was perfect for such a busy day: overcast and cool, with just a touch of rain. We put a few canopies out for the sun, but ended up needing them for the rain. Weird. Overall, it was a very satisfying day, with lots of food going out to families.

Groceries today were brought by Crossroads Bible, Cornerstone, Creekside Covenant, Westminster Chapel, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 169 orders came in and all went out to families, including 4 by delivery. There were a few big trucks coming here this morning, so we appreciate all the individuals who delivered around them. Thanks for a very smooth morning.

Extra fruit and vegetable boxes came to us from Pacific Fruits and Chelan Foods. We were able to give families extra fresh fruit and produce, as well as invite families on the waiting list to come get a box. The remaining boxes we gave to Viviente Dios Church in White Center, which is a church we’ve been helping from time to time all spring. It’s so good to get food out to where it is needed most.

Laundry detergent was available to families again today and nearly all gratefully took it. We are running low on some key hygiene items: shampoo, bar soap, shaving razors & cream. None of this will be available tomorrow. We will add other items as best we can.

A few stories from Ken:

In the middle of the family pick-up time, two teens showed up with Skyline High School jerseys. One of their dads is a local real estate agent, and he was cleaning out a house which had a lot of household supplies. They found Jubilee REACH on the web, so drove over to see if we needed it. The back of their truck was piled high with 500 rolls of TP, paper towels, dish soap, laundry soap, dishwasher soap and more. Wow, jackpot! These kids had never heard of Jubilee but were very interested in what was going on. After hearing the short version, they were thrilled to donate it. We were thrilled to receive it. They drove to the front of the building and brought it all in through the patio door. Wow!

Below is a picture of the main lobby where the crew works. Hanging on the multiple walls of the stairs are print-outs of all the emails sent back from families, as well as any cards, notes, posters or anything given to us from families. They are displayed so the crew can always read them and remember the people behind the words. It is quite a display, once you start reading. If you ever come to Jubilee, take some time to read a few. All of them have been on this email thread at one point or another.

Thanks for another great day. This week and this operation is humming along. Please continue to pray for these families. Pray for all the people giving to sustain this program. Pray that the virus stays out of the building. It is not welcome!

Wherever you are, I wish you a wonderful evening. We feel your love with us every day. We aim to pass it on to all the families.

Blessings to you all,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 6/1/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 6/1/20

Groceries for Families: Week 11 - Day 1

It was such a lovely day to start the week. The temperature was perfect for working. As the afternoon opened up, the sun came out and the temp went up nicely. The entire day felt calm and steady, which is always appreciated. Delivery by shoppers this morning went very well, and families came all afternoon.

Groceries today came from CityHill, Common Good, Rain City, Lighthouse, Sacred Heart School, BCRC, 24-Seven, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 169 orders came in and all but nine went to families, including about 30 by delivery. The remaining few will go out as deliveries in the morning. This was the largest single delivery day yet, and it all went very smoothly this morning. Thanks to all who participated today.

Bellevue Christian Reformed Church Delivery

This week 60 families were added from the waiting list, which is the first time we’ve been able to do so in three week. Twenty of those families came today, and it was easy to find them in line as new faces. Talking to them was great, knowing they had been waiting so long. We welcomed them with open arms and worked hard to make them feel extra comfortable. One couple came on bicycles and had been in the Jubilee ESL program in the past.

A total of 612 families are currently in the program, all coming twice per week. Another 50-60 families remain in the waiting list, and we hope to on-board them next Monday. Thank you to all who have provided extra groceries to help this shift upward.

We found a baby hummingbird sitting on a table amongst the groceries this morning.

Erika was able to pick it up and help it outside. We’re not sure how it got so far into the building and onto a table.

Personal hygiene items were offered to families today. We started offering dish soap by refill only today. As the most popular item, it was no longer possible to keep up with demand. By shifting to refill, it will be easier to do so. We also offered disinfecting wipes for the first time today – they went quickly. Thank you to all who donated these items.

Laundry detergent was also offered today. We’re on an every other week pattern, which works out very well for this popular and important item. Thank you to all who have been donating pods for the past two weeks.

A few emails from Jubilee crew members to give you an inside perspective:

From Alleigha (site coach at Chinook Middle School normally) – works the I-pad checking in families every afternoon: "I have had the opportunity to check families in each day for the past 10 weeks, and getting to know the people in line has been such a pleasure. I have gotten the chance to meet so many amazing people that I never had the privilege to before, I have gotten to know their stories a bit, and in a small way, become a part of their lives. With some, I am praying about job interviews, with others I am praying for health and safety. And while only a few students come by, the ones that do, I joke around with and check in on. This is such a challenging season for everyone, and kids know that their parents are struggling, so being able to see them and know them can make a huge impact on their day, and I know it makes mine better.
From Jakeh (site coach at Big Picture School) – works AM & PM shifts regularly: “Often times I think of what could I do more, I don’t do enough, there is always an opportunity I’m missing. But for these past 8-9 weeks (my gosh, it’s been that long) those thoughts have been absent because of the clarity this program has given me. Coming to the center and seeing Julian coming down the stairs to check my temperature, watching Barb race to pre-sort boxes and boxes of chicken by herself, hearing Sam’s music startup as he sorts flour, sugar, rice, and countless other bulk items… it just makes me smile. We are all working together toward one goal, serving the community. It’s that simple. God doesn’t let down, and sometimes things that aren’t supposed to happen, or aren’t in our plan turn out to be in God’s. Just this last Thursday a church gave us 30 more orders than we were expecting to handle. We didn’t seem to have the room for these extras, and I (who was on stocking duty) had to run out for a meeting. When I came back for the next shift, Daniel and Eddvin had not only found extra room in the fridge but had gotten everything ready so the afternoon could run smoothly. Oh, and those 30 extras? Just so happened to be about 15 deliveries that we had to make, and 10 walk-ins that day. God knew what we needed even if we didn’t. God knows best even if we think we know best. God takes care of his children and his people even as they try to care for and help those they are called too. Trust that God has you exactly where he wants you.”

Today marks day 1 of week 11 of this ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Thank you to all for sustaining your passion and dedication to serving these families of our community.

There are so many things going on in our country and city right now, unrelated to this program. We heard it talked about today at Jubilee REACH, with stories of hearts breaking from the pain being caused. Please pray for peace, healing, and love to prevail.

We are in this together to end,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/30/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/30/20

Groceries for Families: Week 10 - Day 6

After three days of warm, the skies let loose this morning. As you likely experienced yourself if you live in this area, the thunder and lightning started early, with the heavy rain coming around 8:00am. It was a rough couple of hours. Fortunately, the heavy stuff let up right about 10:15am, so most of the time with families here was tolerable but still very wet.

Groceries today came from Bellevue Presbyterian, Evangelical Chinese, and Victory Court churches. A total of 140 orders came in and all but 15 went out to families. For sure the rain kept some people away, which is normal. The extra orders will go out on Monday, which will be nice as new families come off the waiting list that day. Thank you to all who delivered in the pouring rain this morning! Enjoy the time-lapse, courtesy of Sam, who kindly gives up his phone for three hours each Saturday.

Today Evangelical Chinese Church did an outreach event with two other churches, University Presbyterian and Damascus International Fellowship, to gather high-need items for the grocery program. Wow, what a load they delivered around 12:00pm today! Thank you for this extra effort and partnership with churches across the lake.

You may recall earlier this week we started assembling extra bags of food called “hospitality orders”. These are prepared for families who show up without being in the program. We qualify them and add them to the waiting list, if appropriate. No matter what, we want to send them home with food. Alleigha calls on the radio for a “hospitality order” and someone runs it out to her. All week it has been working beautifully.

Today was the final day of the week for bulk ingredient items. Here’s a tally of the number of bags given out over the three days:

Flour: 173 bags or 353 lbs
Rice: 233 bags or 583 lbs
Beans: 224 bags or 269 lbs
Sugar: 247 bags or 235 lbs
Salt: 228 bags or 149 lbs

As with each Saturday, here’s a look at statistics to date after 10 weeks:

Program Days: 60
Families currently in the program: 552+
People in these families: 2484 (approximate)
Grocery orders provided: 7820
Churches & Organizations engaged: 27
Different shoppers participating: 1000 (approximate)

There are 110+ families on the waiting list currently. We will be bringing 60 of them into the program beginning Monday, which is the first additions in three weeks. As more grocery orders are matched up, we hope to be adding the remainder.

Today marks the last day of week 10 of this ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Things are running very smoothly, thanks to so many people serving together to make this engine run. Thank you for the continued prayers, support, and dedication.

Thanks for a great week. Tomorrow is a day of rest. Be back Monday.

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/29/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/29/20

Groceries for Families: Week 10 - Day 5

Some of us are getting too much sun with all this summer weather. The sunscreen is going to be coming out soon. Whew! Today was a great day – very smooth all around with lots of happy people here. The crews in the AM and PM were on point, handling the incoming deliveries with calm and the outgoing with efficiency. Just so you know – there is plenty of silliness going on here through all of it, which is awesome.

Groceries today came from Evangelical Chinese, Covenant Presbyterian, Westminster Chapel, Bellevue Presbyterian, and Crossroads Bible churches. A total of 169 orders arrived and all but four went out to families today, including 2 by delivery. Thanks to all who came here this morning. It’s so great to see so many people serving together, with many faces returning weekly. Thank you!

Box lunches were delivered yesterday and today by the Bellevue School District and Microsoft. They are great lunches, full of good food, and very popular with families. Today was the last day of the sponsored lunches, after at least 8 weeks – maybe more. Thank you BSD for including Jubilee in your deliveries! Thank you Microsoft!

The market was full of great options for families to choose. We try to balance a good mix of canned, boxed, fruit, vegetables and more. There is a large bin of feminine hygiene in the market, so women can choose themselves what they need. It is very popular and something we restock regularly over the two hour window.

Thank you to all who give toward this and provide the extra food for the market.

A personal story from Ken:

There is a family which comes every Tuesday and Friday which I look forward to seeing every day. It is a dad and three kids, about 7, 9 & 11. The dad is quiet, yet does carry a conversation with me. The kids are very nice and stay close to their dad. It’s two boys and a girl, so there are regular conversations about who needs to carry the groceries for dad. The oldest boy definitely wants to carry the heaviest. On Tuesday, the oldest wasn’t there, so today we had him carry ALL the groceries, which the other two just loved. I recently asked about their mom/wife, who they had referred to sometimes. She is a nurse taking care of seniors in Seattle, so she goes to work at 3pm daily. They are rightly very proud of her. Hopefully, we’ll see her in person one day. This is just one of the many families, but one I’ve grown very fond of.

Thanks for a great day, again. Our thanks to all who are helping in this program, it is very heartfelt and needs to be poured on your daily. Thank you, a million times, thank you!

Tomorrow will mark the last day of week 10. Saturday mornings are quick, so it takes lots of effort to get it all done. We’re looking forward to it.

Blessings to you all,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/28/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/28/20

Groceries for Families: Week 10 - Day 4

Lots of fun here today with awesome deliveries, pleasant families, and super crews. This whole program revolves around people, so delight in meeting so many of them each day is just great. The weather was lovely but felt a lot warmer than the temperature said. All the canopies went up to give some shade.

Groceries were delivered today by Doxa, Kalos, First United Methodist, Sacred Heart School & Parish, Bellevue Presbyterian, Redeemer, and Overlake Presbyterian churches. A total of 184 orders came in and all but 11 went out to families today, including 32 by delivery. The remaining few will go out as deliveries in the morning. Thank you for a huge day! With so many orders, we were able to get many deliveries done, which is a rare blessing on Thursday. Thank you!

Families were also offered bulk ingredients today: rice, flour, salt, sugar, and pinto beans, along with butter & oil. It’s fun to watch these go out the door, wondering what families will be cooking, baking, and enjoying because of them. Additionally, each family received two frozen chicken breasts. Thank you to all of you who give these items each week. We pass them out with all the love that you pour into providing them. Thank you!

The church sponsored food truck is here right now until 7:00pm – Cascadia Wood Fired Pizza. We handed out two vouchers to sixty families to return for dinner. Looking out the window now, there are about a dozen people scattered about the parking lot waiting for a tasty meal. Thank you!

The market was full today with a nice assortment of extra foods which came from shoppers, Sysco, Eastside Baby Corner and local food banks which bring things here. The market is great because it allows people to choose for themselves. There is dignity found in this and it matters. Thank you to all who give extra food and items for the market.

Reflections from Ken:

It would be accurate to say community has broken out at Jubilee through this program. Actually, there are three communities within the families, as the individual days are each their own community with the same people coming together twice a week. Some already are friends or neighbors, but others have clearly become acquainted by being here so frequently. There is a clear sense of belonging. It is obvious as people find their way through the line with familiarity and ease. People are comfortable and happy to be here. Like many isolated people, I get the sense there is some fun getting out to a place of calm, where they are known and expected. I love that.

On the flip side, there is also community breaking out each morning with the people delivering groceries and supplies. Friends and fellow church members see each other, sometimes as the only opportunity. It is very common to see groups lingering in the parking lot chatting for 10-20 minutes, delighting in being together. Pastors come to greet their flock for a couple hours. It’s a rare chance to be seen in person, instead of on a screen. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say church sometimes breaks out in the parking lot, filled with love, friendship and a common purpose. I love that, too.

Today we welcome Sacred Heart Parish to the program. Sacred Heart School has been participating for weeks, but today was the first day for the Parish. There were many new faces, and they were all having a delightful time. Some were fretting about getting the groceries just right. All were happy and added a wonderful jolt of newness to the morning here. Welcome and thank you!

If you need dinner, there is still time to come for pizza. Thanks for a great day. Things continue to go very well, as we journey on together.

Have a great and warm evening,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/27/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/27/20

Groceries for Families: Week 10 - Day 3

How nice to be warm! Carrying groceries in the sun, even felt hot at times. We didn’t put up the canopies for shade but certainly should have. It was a great day and busy all day long. The nice weather certainly helps bring families out. Even the last 10 minutes had a line form, which caused us to scramble to keep up.

Groceries today were brought by St. Louise, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Bellevue Presbyterian, and Highland Covenant churches. A total of 140 orders were brought and all were passed on to families, including two by delivery. We even ran out of groceries at 3:10pm, so quickly created about six extra orders on the spot from extra items, which worked out fine.

Today was the last day of the week for personal hygiene items. We were low on many things, so today added “all-purpose cleaning spray” and “hair conditioner”, just so there were more things to choose from. The cleaning spray is very popular, so was a welcome choice for families. Thanks to all who donated this week. The pantry is now empty.

Pacific Coast Fruit donated food boxes of tasty fruits and vegetables this morning. Each family received an extra box with strawberries, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and more in it. Most were things we don’t normally provide, so there would certainly be some surprised faces when the boxes were opened at home. All the remaining boxes were given to the Hispanic White Center church we’ve become connected to through the weeks. What a fun addition for today!

An email from a family we delivery to each week:

Hello, I enjoy seeing you all every week as well since it's the only time I get out due to COVID it’s nice to see others and be able to talk with other adults mental health-wise as well this has been really getting to me, to be stuck at home and not having kids in school it's been a challenge I met a few great people in line while waiting for you to open it's been a nice experience to my kids are too little to understand why we have to wait but they sure appreciate it when it comes to mealtime :) Jubilee is doing God's work in hard times you and your team are such a blessing it has been such a help during unexpected times :)

There are currently 93 families on the waiting list. We are actively looking for more grocery orders to bring them into the program. If your church is able to increase the weekly commitment or pick up a second day, it would be most welcome, so please reply. Also, if you have a referral to another church that may come into the program, that would also be a gift. We invited the wait-list families to come to get a produce box today, so we were able to see some of them in person. They are just waiting for the email saying they are in the program.

Thanks for another great day. Your partnerships are invaluable and such a blessing to this community. Keep moving through this marathon. Together we are helping out closest neighbors in real ways, mainly that they feel loved, but also with a nice meal each day. Thank you!

Enjoy the warm 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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