Day 1 of week 18 is in the books and was a very normal day in all the good ways. Lots of activity in the morning with grocery and pantry drop-offs. Families coming in the afternoon, although not as long of an initial line, likely due to the heat. The hot temperature was the one new thing, as it’s not been so hot like this since a small window in mid-May. By the afternoon, even under the canopies was very warm. But overall it was a great day.

The groceries today were brought by Bellevue Christian Reformed, 24-Seven, Bellevue Presbyterian, Lighthouse, Sacred Heart, Rain City, and Common Good churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 144 orders came in and all but 16 went out today, including 22 by delivery. Another 10 deliveries are being delayed until tomorrow due to staffing. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

The market was full today with some great things: berries, produce, bakery goods, feminine hygiene, baby formula, and more. Nice delivery from a volunteer came from the QFC Crossroads. Thank you, everyone, who donated extra.

Today began the availability of personal hygiene items. Every family can choose three from a list of about eight. Thank you to everyone who helped fill the pantry nicely.

Last Friday, a delivery of freshly picked apples came from the orchard at Holy Cross Lutheran Church near Factoria. T

he type of apple is called “White Transparent” or “ Papirovka”, which is originally from Russia.

On Saturday, a woman was staring a bin of the apples and just seemed mesmerized. When we asked, she said this apple is very popular in her home country of Ukraine, and she’s not found it available in stores here. She was overjoyed to find it at Jubilee and said it reminded her of her childhood.

We happily gave her half a bin full, which had her bouncing to her car. Such fun! Thank you HCLC and volunteers there!

An email from a family:

Dear friends, On behalf of our family I want to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible help that we have received from you during these difficult times, your kindness and generosity have brought a true relief to our family and to many others. We, my husband and I, are over 70 years old, and is really difficult for us to get a job during this pandemic situation. We will never forget your generosity. God bless you. Sincerely, Gloria

A story from Ken:

Today, I took a picture of me with Hilda and Mariana. They are two friends who have been in this program from the very beginning. It is a bittersweet time for us all because this week will be their last. We’ve become attached to many people here, but these two ladies are very special. Alleigha, who runs the check-in I-pad most days so knows them well, gave me her thoughts today, which are woven through this paragraph. Both have delightful personalities and fill the space around them with joy. Mariana laughs a lot and is nothing but fun to talk with. They come so regularly, it is a refreshing part of our day to see them. They give us energy. In fact, it is quite noticeable if either of them is not here, which is rare. For us, they represent exactly the type of family this program was constructed for. We’ve become connected to their stories and watched it unfold. Mariana’s husband was injured back in early May, and we worried alongside her. Hilda picked up a few days of housekeeping in June, and we celebrated with her. Now, their families are able to sustain themselves enough to exit this program. Even for them, it is clearly a difficult separation. Today, they approached me for a picture and said it was for the memory of the past four months with us. We’ve all become friends, and we will miss them. Happy and sad, all at the same time.

We begin this week with still about 565 families in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program, all coming twice per week. There will be a large batch of families coming off the program after this week. You’ll hear more about those details near the end of the week and early next week. Please pray for these families specifically. This week will be emotional and scary for some. Like the story above, it is emotional for the crew, too. We pray they can sustain their families again and know this community cares about them.

It’s warm out there. May you be with or in touch with people you love, wherever you are.

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

Groceries for Families: Week 18 - Day 1

Groceries for Families: Week 18 - Day 2

Groceries for Families: Week 17 - Day 6