Groceries for Families: Week 12 - Day 4
This first paragraph often seems to deal with the weather – sorry about that. It just seems the weather often plays into this outdoor program, so it dictates a number of things going on. Today was no exception. If you live in this area, you experienced the same. It started out raining and got even harder as the morning progressed. As we opened at 1:00pm, the rain persisted but gradually let up. By the time we finished, it was full sun. Right now, it is a lovely late afternoon. Go figure. Anyway,…it was a great day.
Today’s groceries came from Sacred Heart Parish, Sacred Heart School, Kalos, Overlake Park Presbyterian, Redeemer, Bellevue Presbyterian, First United Methodist, and Doxa churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 179 orders came in and all but five went out to families today, including 40 by delivery. The remaining 5 will go out as deliveries tomorrow. Delivery all morning was very smooth, despite the pouring rain for most of it. Thursdays are always a bit of fun with 9 different groups delivering. The AM crew does a great job of keeping all the incoming orders straight. Thank you, everyone!
Sacred Heart Delivery
Doxa Delivery
The rain made for a strange day of families arriving. With the rain, the initial line was only 30-35 deep and was through in about 20 minutes. That felt weird. The rest of the afternoon was a slow but steady trickle. Then the end picked up for a late rush. In the end, we had a normal amount of families coming, but it sure felt strange. Blame it on the rain, perhaps.
Elsie Bencke
Elsie Bencke returned for a third visit, bringing lots of goodie bags intended for young children.
We put her in a yellow vest and let her do what she does best, interacting with families. She has a gift! Plus, she used some Spanish.
Daniel and Marjorie, working alongside her outside, were very impressed. She adds a lot to the afternoon and made today very special for a lot of children.
Thank you, Elsie! Come back anytime.
A picture sometimes attached shows the “view from above”. Often, this shows mainly the tops of many canopies, rain, or shine. In total, there are 3 carports and 10 canopies in the inventory. The carports and 2 canopies stay up all the time. The other 7 canopies get set up and taken down daily. Two canopies always cover two picnic tables, which are used for people to sit and for them to set their groceries while they are in the market. The remaining 8 canopies cover the line of cones as much as possible, for maximum shade and rain coverage. Another picture today shows how we put four cones under each canopy in extreme weather, like the hard rain today. The people are still a good distance apart, but it allows more people to have a cover. The families just work out for themselves how the two lines move and eventually merge into one. It works.
View from Above
The market today had lots of fruits and vegetables, which is always great: potatoes, apples, onion, cantaloupe, zucchini, carrots, yellow pepper, bananas. Much of it came from the Lake Sammamish Foursquare Church food bank, which delivers to us Tuesday and Thursday. Today they brought a great selection. Thank you!
A personal story from Ken:
A few weeks ago you may remember me sharing about a Jewish family who only eats vegetables (green preferred!), and specifically the bad attitude I had to overcome in myself. Here’s a follow up for you. Every day since then, as extra fruits and vegetables come in, I set aside a bit in a bin in the refrigerator. Then, every Monday and Thursday, I look forward to seeing either David (the husband) or Ema (the mother), who comes with Dena (their 11-year-old daughter). David is often in a hurry on Monday and comes to the front of the line early, which is fine. On Thursdays, Dena comes bouncing to find me, while her mom gets in line. I soon pull Ema out of line early. They get two bags filled with as many different vegetables and fruits as we can find. I’ve definitely learned that what David thinks their family eats and what Ema thinks their family eats are two different things. Ema is far pickier. When I offer something to David, such as potatoes, and he accepts it, I tell him that Ema turns it down normally. So, then he doesn’t take it. Pretty funny, really. For sure, I’ve bonded with the girls. Dena is full of life and is the opposite of her parents in how she shows her energy & spirit. I’ll keep working on David. He is comfortable with me but doesn’t give much more than a grunt or hand wave. They are a sweet family, and I pray for them.
Today’s PM Crew
Thanks for another lovely day. There are so many good things happening here and around this program. If you haven’t yet come for a tour, please reach out to come. You are always welcome.
Have a great evening,
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
