Groceries for Families: Week 1 - Day 4
March 26, 2020
Here we are at the end of day 4. It’s hard to believe just a week ago this entire program was just a nudge. Thank all for being such a huge part of pulling it together quickly.
Groceries were delivered today by Doxa Church (see attached picture with two site coaches and ½ the groceries), which called an audible by adding spaghetti sauce to the ordered pasta. Evidently, one cannot be given without the other, so they taught me a lesson. 😊
Bulk food were given out with the groceries for the first time this week: flour, rice, pinto beans, sugar and butter. Families were very excited to see the ingredients to many favorites they can make themselves.
A few stories for you:
This email came today from a man who was at Jubilee REACH earlier in the day to pick up gift cards for his own need, and saw what was happening. “In one word…Thank you!!! Today, I saw all of you working for the community, you guys, are amazing! You touched my Heart! I can feel God in each one of you, guys! Sincerely with truly feelings!” (He isn’t part of the grocery program yet, but his family is now on the waiting list.)
Today was the first day for people to return. We are recognizing faces and getting to know names. People arrived earlier than Monday and all had smiles on their faces as we greeted them. It seems this may turn into a family!
Yesterday, a woman showed up quite desperate for size 6 diapers, which we didn’t have. The Well Community Church had earlier in the week supplied gift cards to Target. A site coach drove to Target, bought the size 6 diapers and delivered them to her home. Wow!
There are now 120 families confirmed in the program, all with people in the community supporting them. This means 40 families coming each day, each twice a week. The waiting list is growing slowly but steadily, and we’ll be adding them 20 at a time.
There are quite a few individuals, organizations, and churches bringing personal hygiene and bulk food items nearly daily. These are tremendous gifts that are steadily going out to the families.
Thanks to you all. Keep going,
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
