Groceries for Families: Week 30 - Day 1
The first day of the week was a great one! The weather was ideal for a fall day, with the sun streaming through at times. Jackets have replaced short-sleeves with the cooler temperatures, but the dry weather today was very welcome. The morning was very joyful with lots of happy shoppers dropping off groceries and pantry items. Families came all afternoon, with a steady line holding until about 3:15pm. The entire operation was smooth, making for a very enjoyable day. Love it!
Creekside Covenant Delivery
Evangelical Chinese Delivery
Groceries today were provided by Bellevue Christian Reformed, Westminster Chapel, Evangelical Chinese, Crossroads Bible, Victory Court, Awakening, Covenant Presbyterian, Creekside Covenant, Cornerstone, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 191 orders came in and all went out to families today, including one by delivery. Thank you to everyone who participated today!
Sysco Delivery
Sysco was on-site just before 7:00am with perishables foods. They were expected at 9:30am, so the driver was kind enough to wait, keeping the food cold. By 11:00am, he was unloaded and on his way to Lake Stevens. His 3rd stop was our White Center, Seattle partner, El Dios Viviente Methodist Church. They receive 250 food boxes on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
Volunteers Sorting Bags
The morning shift of the operation changed today from being done by Jubilee staff to being run by volunteers.
A crew of 8 volunteers worked from 9am-12pm, receiving groceries, packing food boxes, and doing various other tasks.
It was a huge success all-around, with positive comments coming from the debrief at noon.
The change brings volunteers closer to the operation and allows the Jubilee staff, who normally work in the Bellevue public schools, to spend more time in their main role. Thank you volunteers!
Crossroads QFC Delivery
Lots of extra items have been arriving. Many people dropped off pantry items each day since last Thursday and many today. Volunteers brought food from the Safeway Thrashers Corner. Volunteers brought food from the QFC Crossroads. The market looked great today and provided a lot of variety. Thank you!
Seattle Bagel Bakery donated boxes of fresh bagels this morning. It started as a chance meeting in a park between one of the Grocery shoppers and Bijan, the Director of Operation. As they talked, she shared what was happening at Jubilee. He got excited about the program and wanted to help. He was here this morning and likely will be back with more one day soon. Thank you, SBB! Look for their brand in your favorite store. What fun!
A delivery of diapers from Eastside Baby Corner came on Friday, so a quick shout out to them today. Thank you for this wonderful partnership!
Seattle Bagel
Eastside Baby Corner Delivery
As you read last Thursday, lights were donated by one of you to brighten the space under the six main carports.
On Friday, volunteers hung them up. Picture to the right. The look amazing! Today was the first day to use the, and lots of positive comments were shared by families.
They make the whole area look more…joyful. Thank you!!!
Carport Lights!
A few stories from today:
One of the grocery orders was delivered this morning by Amazon Prime. As the man set the bags down, he noticed what was happening and inquired about how a family can get help here. We asked a few questions to learn about him. He lives in Federal Way and drives for Amazon. He is married with 5 kids under 15 years old. They moved to the US a year ago from Afghanistan, where he worked with the US military at Bagram Air Base. There he learned English and was able to secure a visa to immigrate. They chose Seattle because a friend lives here. He is a very nice man and needs help. He returned around noon after his shift and may come back tomorrow to register for the program. Such a cool connection and story. We’ll see what happens.
There are two ladies that were in the program all spring and summer, leaving the program in late July. Both returned in late September, needing additional support. They are delightful women and full of laughter. One of the ladies shared they are struggling because her husband simply can’t earn enough income from his restaurant job, despite working full-time. Prior to the crisis, he was a server making an hourly wage and tips…enough to support the family. With the restaurant now doing take-out only, he is only assisting in the kitchen. His income is only half what it used to be without tips. They both cook for friends on the side to make a little extra money. Until he can get back to making tips, they will be struggling. This is a very common story with families.
A new family was at the back of the line this afternoon. They had been receiving groceries in the spring and summer by delivery through the program. When deliveries stopped, they didn’t come register until today. We were able to welcome them back and learn a bit of their story. They were delighted to be here and had fun going through the market. This is one reason we stopped deliveries; so people could come to be a part of this community. We’ll watch out for them again next week.
Today marks the start of week 30 of the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. What started as an 8 week crisis stop-gap in March has become an essential sanctuary for many families in this community. We begin the week with 634 families in the program, including 32 new from last week.
Today’s PM Crew
Thank you for all you are doing to make this possible. Feeding the hungry is a direct calling and feels exactly where we all should be. Beyond food, together we are providing hope, love, relationship, community, and a sense of peace that someone cares. It takes a lot to sustain such a focus and can be difficult at times. Please keep going. It is working and matters so much. Thank you for all you are pouring into these families. Pray for them.
Serving together,
Ken Carpenter
Director- Community Care, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
