Today was great! It was very busy and very smooth all day long. Even the country music playing inside the Jubilee REACH Center lobby seemed better today…all the great songs were played! The sunshine came out at just the right time, which allowed for short sleeves and welcomed warmth. The initial line of families was much shorter than normal, as it can sometimes spread the length of the property. Today, it was just a steady arrival, which was great operationally.

Groceries today were delivered by Highland Covenant, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Bellevue Presbyterian, and St. Louise churches. A total of 152 orders were brought and all went out to families today, including 14 by delivery. Thank you for all the coordination and effort to bring the groceries in such a timely and organized manner. It is so fun to chat with people dropping off each day. Thank you!

We didn’t think a market would be possible or necessary today, as there wasn’t sufficient extra food and items to make it worth it. We don’t want to open the market if only a small number of families can benefit.

Over the morning, Awakening Church arrived with three carloads of food donated by Union Gospel Mission and picked up by Awakening Church at the UGM Kent warehouse. Suddenly, we had fresh gallons of milk, hard-boiled eggs, guacamole, tomatoes, potatoes, red onion, and Trader Joe’s yogurt. Hastily, we set up the market, and it turned out to be one of the coolest yet because the food available was so unusual. Thank you Casey, Jonah, and Awakening Church!

Today was the final day of the week for personal hygiene items. They are all very popular, and it’s great to see such things going home with families. Thanks to all who keep the pantry filled! Tomorrow will begin the bulk food distribution, which is equally popular.

A few stories to share:

Melissa Slater of the Bellevue School District came for a tour today at 10:00am. She has been one of our awesome main contacts to bring school district families into the program. It was great to have her in the building. Here’s an email she sent this afternoon:

“I was so impressed seeing Jubilee’s Grocery Program in action today. Your staff is always on the move to ensure items are where they need to be for families. Your volunteers come in like clockwork, generously delivering food and hygiene items to help people they don’t know. As I think about the difference you have made for specific families and how you are filling a need we cannot…well, I just can’t thank you enough. You are providing a critical service for our students and families that need it most. Thank you to you, to your staff and to your volunteer community who continue to put others first every day. You are all AWESOME!”

A week ago, you may remember a story on this summary email about a Grandma who received the Mother’s Day gifts and was overcome with emotion to the point of sobbing. Today, she sought me out with a huge smile. She introduced herself (her English is quite good) and wanted to explain herself from last week. She simply said the gift was so unexpected, that is completely caught her off guard. It has been so long since she had been given flowers, that it instantly touched her heart. The emotion just came up quickly inside her, and she couldn’t hold it in. Today she was just beaming and was able to express her gratitude for the gifts. It was so nice to reconnect with her in this way. What a nice bookend to that sweet story.

If you have any stories, thoughts, feelings or the like to share, please email it to me at kenc@jubileereach.org, so it can be shared in these daily entries. There are so many positive things happening; it would be great to let people hear about them. Send them!

Thanks for a great day. Please pray for these families and for the health of the staff here. We are focused on best health practices to minimize all risks, but prayer is needed.

Have a great evening,

Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 4

Groceries for Families: Week 8 - Day 2