Groceries for Families: Week 5 - Day 2
April 21, 2020
The rain held off today after bringing a bit misty this morning. It was a really busy day, but we had a full staff who was ready to work. The morning shift handled all the receiving of groceries and the afternoon delivered them. It’s quite an operation!
Today’s groceries were provided by Cornerstone, Creekside Covenant, Westminster Chapel, and Crossroads Bible churches. This was the busiest day of the program to date, with 127 orders given to families, including 10 delivered. A few extra orders were brought today, so there are actually four remaining as I type this. My hunch is a few families will show up before I leave today. Otherwise, they will go out as deliveries first thing tomorrow.
The laundry detergent was available to all families again today. Nearly all happily received it, including a mom with seven young children who were given the largest Kirkland brand bucket donated. She was elated!
We did a trial run of corn tortillas today to see how popular they would be. Not surprisingly, they were very popular, indeed. They will likely be on a shopping list next week.
Elsie Bencke
Elsie Bencke is a local teenager who has been donating personal hygiene & bulk food items with her family since day one. Last week, she asked how else she could help. I challenged her to come up with a way to give some fun to the little children in the families. Today, she showed up with 50-60 fun activity kits tailor-made for 2-6 year old’s. One young girl was so excited, she immediately put many of the stickers on her forehead. Thank you, Elsie! So cool!
A nice email from a family to share:
Mi familia es de 4 hermosas hijas de 16,10, 8 , 6 años Papá y Mama. Después de vivir 12 años en Los Ángeles CA. Decidimos mudarnos a Bellevue, es un lugar completamente diferente y muy bonito, nos encanto! Papá encontró rápidamente trabajo en un restaurante de Seattle le fue muy bien y un año después Mami encontró trabajo en una cocina de una escuela privada, también le fue muy bien por que con part- time era suficiente para poder cuidar de nuestras hijas después de escuela. Tristemente el año 2018 fue muy difícil para la familia pues pasamos por un trauma horrible por que nos enteramos que una persona le hizo mucho daño a nuestra hija de 16 años cuando ella te tenia 14 años, fue algo muy doloroso por que todo ese proceso de denunciar de declarar y al mismo tiempo volver a recordar el daño es muy doloroso y difícil de enfrentar, mami se enfermó mucho tubo problemas lumbares le afectó el nervio ciático y no podía moverse era como estar en cuarentena en verano por que no podíamos salir por que mami tenia mucho dolor fue difícil para la familia también, pero Dios siempre estuvo de nuestro lado enfrentando el trauma más doloroso de nuestras vidas, nuestra hija de 16 años deseaba su fiesta de sweet 16, un festejo con su vestido un baile con chambelanes algo rico para comer y algunos amigos e invitados, lo estábamos planeando para celebrarlo este año, pero después llegó este terrible virus y todos nuestros planes no podrán ser posible, era algo para poder distraer a nuestra hija un poco por todo lo que a pasado, papi y mami no están trabajando por motivo del Covid-19 y ahora no hay dinero para la renta ni para comida, pero Dios nos ama demasiado y existe gente buena como ustedes, un día mami recibió una llamada del FCC de la primaria y decían que si deseábamos que nos ayudaran con comida en el programa de Jubilie! Aunque no los conozcamos a ustedes se vuelven en una parte muy importante en nuestras vidas por que nos apoyan en momentos difíciles sin su ayuda no se como hubiéramos podido traer comida a la casa para nuestras hija, le doy gracias a Dios por que existe gente buena como ustedes y ayudan a varias familias con historias diferentes pero que necesitamos de mucho apoyo. Muchas gracias por pensar en familias como nosotros, que Dios los bendiga siempre.
My family is made up of four beautiful daughters of 16, 10, 8, 6 years old, dad, and mom. After living 12 years in Los Angeles, CA, we decided to move to Bellevue. It is a place completely different and very beautiful. We love it! Dad found work very quickly working in a restaurant in Seattle, and a year later mom found a job in a kitchen at a private school, and it also went well because with part-tie work it was sufficient to be able to take care of our daughters after school. Sadly, 2018 was a very hard year for our family because we went through horrible trauma as we found out that a person had done much wrong with our 16-year-old when she was 14. It was really painful because during all this process of having to declare all that happened we had to remember the wrong that was done which was painful and difficult to face. Mom was really sick and had lumbar problems that affected the sciatic nerve and could not move. It was like being in quarantine during the summertime because we could not go out since mom had a lot of pain and this was very difficult for the family. God was always by our side facing this most painful trauma of our lives. Our 16-year-old daughter wished to celebrate her Sweet 16, a festivity with a dress, a dance, and escorts, something delicious to eat, and some friends and guests. We were planning to celebrate it this year, but then this terrible virus came along and all our plans will not be a possibility. It would have been something to distract our daughter from all that has happened. Dad and mom are not working right now because of Covid-19 and now there is no money for rent, not even for food, but God loves us so much and people like you exist. One day, mom received a call from the elementary FCC and told us that if we need help with food there was a program available at Jubilee! Although we do not know you, you have become very important in our lives because you support us during these difficult moments. Without your help, we do not know how we would have brought food to our house, to our daughters. I thank God because good people like you exist and help various families, all with different stories but all who very much need support. Thank you for thinking of us. May God bless you always.
(Extra Note: A volunteer has stepped forward to organize a celebration for this family and the 16-year old’s birthday next week.)
Day 26 was a good day. Keep praying for this program and these families. Thank you for all your love and support.
Keep going!
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
