Groceries for Families: Week 19 - Day 1
Was it hot where you were today? Yeah, same here. Melting. The building cooled down for the early morning but stayed very warm all day long. The crew did a great job of working through it. Fans were running everywhere, including taking one out to the check-in area way out front for Alleigha and Marjorie in the afternoon. We did a quick BBQ for lunch on the patio to break up the day. Families definitely waited to come today, as there were only six people in line at opening time. Eventually, it was a nice trickle of people all afternoon. Still, a number of regular families didn’t come today, which likely had to do with the heat.
24-Seven Delivery
Lighthouse Delivery
Groceries today came from Rain City, Sacred Heart, Bellevue Christian Reformed, 24-Seven, Bellevue Presbyterian, Common Good, and Lighthouse churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 156 orders came in, which included 14 extra. Thank you! All but nine went out today, including about 25 by delivery. The remaining nine will go out tomorrow as deliveries. Thank you to everyone who gave today. Wow!
The market was full today with lots of extras coming in with groceries, as well as deliveries from local providers. Volunteers brought a delivery from the Crossroads QFC. Our crew did a pick up from volunteers in Lynnwood who got a nice supply of groceries from Safeway Thrashers Corner. The crew also picked up a nice supply of food boxes from Farmer Frog in Woodinville. Fresh produce came from local gardens. Altogether, the market had bakery items, bread, yogurt, vegetables, salads, fruit, and more. Thank you to everyone who helped stock it.
Personal hygiene items were offered to families today, as well as laundry detergent. We’ve been able to offer laundry detergent every other week since early May, thanks to your generous donations. Each family can receive 20 laundry pods. Today, as one of the hygiene options, we offered 2 rolls of TP for the first time. Our supply of toilet paper, which was nearly gone three weeks ago is full enough now to try this experiment. It was a very popular option, as you might expect. By offering this, it gave the families the option to get 4 rolls today (2 in their groceries, too). Plus, it keeps the inventory of the other hygiene items in check, which is very helpful. Thank you to everyone who helped fill the pantry today.
The food truck will be this Thursday from 4-7pm, Cubano-Mexi. Plan to come! The fluffy tacos are delicious.
A quick story from Ken:
Last week I detailed two ladies who were exiting the program with their families. We’ve all grown close to them, so said goodbye last Thursday. Today, they showed up with a basket full of homemade tamales and corn muffins for the crew. They simply wanted to say thank you for the many months of assistance and friendship. It was a fun reunion. Please receive their thanks, which I pass on to you. Regretfully, there are not enough tamales and muffins to share. 😊
We start this week with 470 families in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program, each coming twice per week. The number has come down from a peak of about 682 in late June but may stabilize now. In talking with families today about how they are doing, those remaining in the program still need continued help. There is a strong sense of worry when talking with families. One woman shared that her husband just lost his job this weekend, which shows a step backward. We’re watching this very carefully. For sure, there are many families in this program who needed such help even before the COVID crisis started. Please continue to pray for all of them.
Today’s PM Crew
Today marks day 109 - day 1 of week 19. Thank you for your continued support and sustained energy for helping these dear members of our community. It is working. Please keep going. Together, we are making an impact on the lives of thousands of our neighbors. It is exactly where we all should be.
May you find somewhere cool to be this evening,
Ken Carpenter
Service Coordinator, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
