Groceries for Families: Week 1 - Day 3
March 25, 2020
Day 3 today was another success which had a new sense of calm about it, as we learn best practices and get comfortable with the rhythm of a day. Groceries were delivered in the morning by Bellevue Presbyterian Church with much excitement and celebration.
Distribution was handled by Jubilee Site Coaches, who love being on the front lines and caring for people. It was a joy to watch them in action.
More bulk foods were delivered by donors and packed on site. There are now 60 bags (see attached pictures) with Ziploc bags of flour, rice, pinto beans, and sugar. We’ll be adding sticks of butter. Over the next 3 days, all 60 families will receive these extra bulk items.
The shelves of personal hygiene items are well stocked and steadily being claimed by families in need.
A few stories for you:
A woman came to claim her first order of groceries and went away very happy with arms full. Not long after, she returned, this time bringing her friend/neighbor who was in need of help but not on our list. Daniel qualified her quickly as a family with kids at Interlake and Odle. We added her to the wait list but were actually able to give her groceries, as BelPres had brought 6 extra orders. All of these extra orders went out to people in a similar manner. (Note to Churches – feel free to bring extra orders. It seems obvious such opportunities to help random people will be continuing.)
At the end of the day, a woman who was on the waiting list already, showed up today, seeing if we had any personal hygiene items. She had a baby and three girls in the car. She was very pleasant, but it was very easy to see her anxiety. We provided her a bag full of hygiene items and a box of diapers. We had one final order of extra groceries remaining, so were able to give them to her, too. She is now on the service list beginning next week.
As I wrote yesterday, we were actively looking to grow the program from 60 families to 120 families, beginning next Monday. I’m happy to report that has been accomplished! New churches have joined and current churches have increased their numbers. Welcome to Highland Covenant and Rain City.
Monday through Saturday, there will now be 40 families provided with groceries and personal hygiene items each day, with each family coming two times weekly. All of these groceries, bulk food items and personal hygiene items have been generously donated by churches, organizations, and individuals.
Thank you all for your hard work and dedication. Together, we are helping people in this community.
Bless you all,
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
