Day 100! Can you believe it? This all started back in mid-March with 20 families on the first day. It felt so difficult. There was one no-show that day, and we didn’t know what to do with the extra set of groceries. The motto then was ‘Run before you can walk”. This meant everyone involved was willing to just start, so food could reach families immediately. We’d all worry about the details later and learn then what we didn’t know. The initial plan was 8 weeks, which became 12 weeks, which became through the summer. Wow! It would have been impossible to imagine and plan for what has happened since. Thank you, everyone!

Back to today,…it felt so slow to all of us today. The numbers were down, and the pace was very slow. Totally strange and so different from the first three days of the week. We’re not sure what happened. The weather was wonderful. Sun this morning kept us warm. The clouds came in around noon to keep the heat away while families were here.

Groceries today came from Sacred Heart, Bellevue Presbyterian, Doxa, Overlake Park Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Redeemer, and Kalos churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 154 orders came in and all but 10 went out to families today, including 22 by delivery. More deliveries will go out tomorrow. Thank you to all who donated today

We thought the market was going to be pretty normal today and set it up with the non-perishables in stock. In the late morning, two wonderful deliveries of fresh items came in which flipped the whole market. Thursday is a normal delivery day from Fred who brings food from the food bank at Lake Samm Foursquare Church.

Today was also the first delivery from Gill and his wife, who are picking up late-dated food from the Bothell QFC and delivering it to Jubilee. Combined there was a wonderful selection of dairy products, fruit, vegetables, salads, loaves of bread, baked goods (including some great cakes). Very quickly, the crew brought in all the non-perishables and displayed all the fresh items, including a lot on the ice. The families today had a great day of extras. Thank you!

Today started the availability this week for bulk ingredients: flour, rice, sugar, salt, and pinto beans. Families can choose three of the five, as well as get butter and cooking oil (in their own container). Rice and sugar are the most popular, but all are enjoyed by families. Thank you to everyone who gave this past week to stock the pantry.

A personal story from Ken:

As you may know, we started running a waiting list for families to enter this program about two weeks ago. When new families come to Jubilee to inquire about the program, they are added to the waiting list and given a ‘hospitality bag’ of food to take home. The waiting list is now around 35 families. Yesterday, around 3:15pm, after we closed the operation, two young women came to the door. Our two staff who work outside checking families in, Alleigha and Rosario, were still here, so they went out to greet them. I watched through the open door and was delighted with what I saw. These Hispanic women were very cautious and nervous, not knowing anything or anyone here. I listened as Alleigha and Rosario skillfully built a quick relationship with them before anything else. They asked how they were doing, how their family was doing and a little about their lives. It was just four women talking together. I watched as the two women warmed up and clearly relaxed. They smiled and talked more & more. It was a beautiful example of hospitality, friendship, and love. Building the two hospitality bags, I tried to add extras and get as much into the bags as possible. As the bags were handed over, the four women were laughing and enjoying each other’s company. I hope the two women went away with even a small slice of joy and happiness, which they likely didn’t expect to find here. So cool. Really cool.

Thank you for another great day. This week is rolling along. It’s hard to believe tomorrow is Friday already. The rain looks to be coming in tonight, which would be a welcome relief, honestly. The heat is coming next week!

Have a great evening,

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

Groceries for Families: Week 17 - Day 4

Groceries for Families: Week 17 - Day 5

Groceries for Families: Week 17 - Day 3