Early this morning had frost in the air and a cold which needed gloves. By mid-morning, the chill was gone enough to remove gloves. By noon it was a nice spring day and the jackets came off. How nice! Everyone seemed to enjoy this rare December day of some mild warmth. With lots of activity around this place, it was the perfect weather to make it all go a bit easier.

Groceries today were provided by Victory Court, Indian Fellowship, Crossroads Bible, 24-Seven, Bellevue Christian Reformed, St. Louise, Calvary Chapel Eastside, Bellevue Presbyterian, and Newport Covenant churches, as well as the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Bellevue and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 226 orders came in, which is about 40 more than expected. Wow, thank you! The number of families today was about 35 lower than normal, which is puzzling. About 165 orders went out today, including 6 by delivery. We’re not sure why the numbers were low…perhaps the lovely afternoon weather. This leaves us a large reserve of groceries to begin tomorrow, which is absolutely fine. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

We are welcoming Champions Foundation as a new partner bringing groceries now on Thursdays. They have long been a Jubilee partner on the Jubilee Service Day. Welcome!

The food boxes were delivered early today at 8:30am, which worked out fine with it being so cold out. They were kept very fresh on the patio, waiting for volunteers to pack them with fresh produce. The AM volunteer crew today came from Bellevue Presbyterian Church. It was busy, busy for this crew, and they managed it all very well. Thank you, crew.

A second AM volunteer crew for today was added late yesterday to handle the incoming diaper delivery. In early November, a large order of diapers was placed with a wholesaler through donations from churches, organizations, and individuals. It arrived in a large truck this morning at 9:30am, which quickly unloaded 10 pallets into the parking lot.

The crew had them all inside the diaper room within an hour. Wow! This large purchase has quickly stabilized the inventory for all diaper sizes, except #6, which wasn’t available through the wholesaler. This past month has been very tight with diaper inventory. Thank you to everyone who stepped in to fill the gap. Not once did we run out of any sizes. Thank you to the donors and to the volunteer crew today.

Speaking of volunteers, today was the largest amount of volunteers here on any single day. There were two from 7:30-9:00am. There were eight from 9:00am-12:15pm. There were six from 9:30-11:00am. There were three from 12:30-3:30pm. There were eight from 3:30-5:00pm. That is a total of 27. This program could not operate with you all. Thank you to all the many volunteers who serve here.

Here's a quick highlight of pets. Many of you continue to give dog food, cat food, and cat litter to fill the pantry. These essentials are very, very popular with families with such pets. They allow people to not have to choose between keeping their pets and paying for other things. A large delivery came in today, which was quickly portioned out by volunteers. See the picture above. Thank you to all of you who support this special part of the program.

A quick update on one family:

Since June, we have been following a family who’s husband has been battling a brain tumor for the 2nd time. The wife was here today, and we were able to talk so she could provide an update. Too often, it is too crowded for us to talk in private, but today we managed. She has a constant expression of grief and fear, so it was clear things have not improved. Her husband continues to receive weekly chemo at Overlake but is not improving. He has recently lost his ability to talk, which is very frustrating and scary. Their teenage daughter mostly stays in her room, which seems to be her escape. When asked if she needs anything, she simply said, “I need my husband back.” Please pray for this family. She is carrying so much of a burden right now. Pray for her ability to sustain herself and find rest. Life is very hard for them…plus the pandemic.

Lunch was brought to the crew today by Maria again. This abuela is a master cook and today brought delicious chicken soup. We are spoiled. She passes on her thanks and love through her cooking.

Thank you for all you are doing to support these families. You should know there is extreme gratitude from all of them. We see it daily in their eyes and with many heartfelt comments of thanks. We receive this and pass it on to all of you. Most of them have no idea how all this food and provision reaches them, but they are grateful for it all the same. Thank you! Please keep going. It is working.

Have a wonderful evening, wherever this entry finds you.

Ken Carpenter
Director- Community Care, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Groceries for Families: Week 36 - Day 2

Groceries for Families: Week 36 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 36 - Day 1