The week ended on a very nice note. The weather was just great today, with early-morning cool and mid-morning warmth. The operation was very smooth and calm today. Lots of groceries coming in from 8-9:30am. Families were steadily coming all morning, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Such a nice way to end week 17. Enjoy the time-lapse. Thanks, Sam!

Groceries today were provided by Bellevue Presbyterian, Victory Court, and Evangelical Chinese churches. A total of 153 orders came in and all but 16 went out to families today. It’s unusual to have that many remaining, but we will hold them until Thursday without a problem. All the perishables are now in the refrigerator. Thank you to everyone who participated today. So great here!

There wasn’t a market today, as all of the market extras were used for the ‘hospitality bags’ detailed in yesterday’s email. The crew put together 35 nice boxes with a variety of non-perishables, fresh items, some fun things like chocolate, and some hygiene essentials. See the attached picture. Yesterday, we invited all 35 families on the waiting list to come at noon today. Only eight came, which is mostly due to the short notice. We will communicate with them again, inviting them to come Wednesday at 3pm. It feels so right to provide these families with any food available here. More to come!

This was the last day of the week for the bulk ingredient items: rice, pinto beans, flour, sugar, and salt. Thank you to everyone who helped fill the pantry with these items. The crew flips the lobby at the end of Saturday, so it is now ready for Monday with all the personal hygiene items. It looks great!

A few updates from Ken:

A mom was here today and gave a quick update on her son. He remains stable and the testing is continuing. They are watching him very closely, which causes an underlying level of stress in the family. Her husband and other three kids are well. Her husband works for an irrigation company installing sprinkler systems, as well as does yard work. He is working three days a week right now, while the company slowly opens again. She continues to express her gratitude for all the prayers being said for their family, as well as the financial support with their PSE bill and gas cards. Thank you!
A wife who’s husband dealing with brain tumor was also here today and gave a quick update.. He has two more sessions of radiation this week, which will end the planned cycle. They will then do a MRI to see if the tumor has changed. The doctor is very hopeful. They see the doctor on Monday, so a week from tomorrow should provide a good update. Their daughter turns 16 a week from today, so it is a big week for them. The mom will get her a simple necklace to celebrate, which her daughter chose. She is very grateful for all the prayers being said for their family, as well as the gas cards and help with paying the traffic tickets. Thank you!

As with each Saturday, here’s a look at statistics to date after 17 weeks:

Program Days: 102
Families currently in the program: 565+
People in these families: 2542 (approximate)
Grocery orders provided to-date: 16,506
Churches & Organizations engaged: 28
Different shoppers participating: 1000 (approximate)

We end this week with about 565 families in the program, each coming twice per week. No new families were on-boarded this week, although about 15 were added to the waiting list. Just a few families exited the program this week, but there are quite a few families for whom next week will be their last week. We’ll have more details of those numbers later next week.

This program is targeted to end on August 29, as it currently exists. Some of you are asking the appropriate question of what will happen if the economy closes again & families go backward. For sure, we’re watching things closely alongside you and will be communicating more in August, as things unfold. Thank you for your further concern about these families.

Today marks the last day of week 17 of this ‘Groceries for Families’ program. It continues to cruise right along with so many good things happening. Thank you all for the continued participation, prayers, support, and love for the people of our community. It’s just so great to be in this with you all.

Thanks for a great week. Tomorrow is a day of rest. Be back Monday.

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

Groceries for Families: Week 17 - Day 6

Groceries for Families: Week 18 - Day 1

Groceries for Families: Week 17 - Day 5