Groceries for Families: Week 15 - Day 3
Half-way through the week marked a very nice day in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. There were lots of families here today and so many we consider friends, at this point. The weather was a little rainy at times but very pleasant to work in. The temperature seemed to fluctuate from cool to warm, and back again. Overall, it was a great day.
BCRC Delivery
Jubilee Friends Delivery
Groceries today came from Highland Covenant, Bellevue Christian Reformed, St. Louise, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 157 orders came in today and all went out to families. It was a very busy morning of incoming groceries and always so nice to chat with people. Thank you to everyone!
A bundle of balloons arrived early, donated by local family after celebrating a birthday.
What fun it was to pass them out to every kid who came with their parent this afternoon.
The faces just lit up…every time! One girl was celebrating a birthday, so she got the sole pink balloon.
An autistic boy was wandering away from his mom in line, and the balloon helped her bring him back to stay close to her.
Thank you, Linda!
Balloons!
Today’s Market
Lots of fresh vegetables came this morning from a gardener at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, where there is a lovely garden in their orchard.
Lots of greens, beets, turnips, squash and fresh herbs filled the market today.
Thank you, Joan!
Today was the last day of the week for personal hygiene items. Families can choose three items from a list of 7-8 items. Additionally, laundry detergent was offered this week and is always extremely popular. Thank you to everyone who filled up the pantry to make this possible. At the end of the day, the crew switched the lobby to be ready with bulk food items tomorrow. See below for picture.
The food truck tonight of Japanese food was very popular. Thanks, BelPres, for sponsoring.
Ready for Tomorrow
A personal story from Ken:
You may recall at Mother’s Day the story of a Grandma who overflowed with emotional tears when presented with flowers, a card, and candy. https://www.jubileereach.org/blog/2020/5/6/grocery-program-week-7-day-3
When the grandma came back the next week, she introduced herself and explained her emotion. Since they, we have become close, greeting each other every time she comes. She brought her grandchildren one day to meet the crew. She is a delightful person and speaks English quite well. For the last 3-4 weeks, she has been absent from the line. I’ve noticed and wondered where she’s been. She hadn’t left the program, so there was no explanation. Today, as I walked the line to greet people, I saw her way at the back, out on the grass. She was standing there with a walker, waving at me. When I reached her, it was all I could do to not hug her. She shared that she had torn a meniscus in her left knee three years ago while working at a hotel at SeaTac. She’s been a housekeeper at the Doubletree Hotel there since 1994. She had never had it repaired, so just had lived with the pain. Since being laid off from the hotel in March, she finally decided to have the surgery. She had it three weeks ago and is now on the long road to recovery. We had a wonderful conversation and reconnected. My own career is in the hotel industry, and I know many people who have worked at the Doubletree over the years, so we shared that history together. I’m so glad to know she is well and will be coming again regularly. Please join me in praying for her recovery, job, and her family.
Today’s PM Crew
Thank you for another smooth day. The crew had a good discussion this afternoon about how meaningful this program is within the community. We all feel the love that is sent to the families from you through Jubilee and passes it along. It certainly helps sustain us all. Thank you!
Have a great evening,
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
