As you know, Saturdays have the incoming and outgoing parts of the operation squished into a 3 hour period, which makes for a busy day. Today was no exception, with activity happening all morning long. The inflow of grocery deliveries was steady and on time. Thank you! The families were lined up by 9:30am and came steadily all morning. The busiest time was the last 20 minutes when about 30 families came. Overall, the feeling was calm and smooth – it was a great day! The weather even cooperated with a pleasant temperature and the sun breaking through.

Groceries today came from Bellevue Presbyterian, Victory Court, and Evangelical Chinese churches. A total of 154 orders came in and all went out to families today. Thanks for a smooth morning of deliveries and to all who participated today.

Lots of extra foods came in today, so the market was looking good: kale, lettuce, pasta, canned goods, carrots, potatoes, baby formula, and even socks. It’s so great to offer this extra outlet to families, where they can choose. Feminine hygiene is always available and is very popular. Thank you to every who provided extra items for the market.

Thank you to everyone who responded to the need for specific diaper sizes this week. We are stable in sizes 5 & 6, needing only size 4 still. The largest need we have is toilet paper. We aim to give every family 3 rolls per week but have cut it back to 2 rolls right now due to inventory.

Personal notes from Ken:

Many of you were touched by the story recently of a 3-year-old son who had a seizure, and his mom had asked for prayer. She was here today, so I was able to get an update. They have been to Children’s Hospital on Tuesday for a CAT scan, which didn’t show anything. This coming week they will return for another type of scan. Leo will also have to spend one night there, so they can monitor him during his sleep. On Thursday, two days ago, he had a small relapse where he suddenly started showing signs of a seizure. She was able to call the doctor immediately who helped over the phone. She said she prayed over her son while he lay on his side. She said she has to be with him constantly in case anything happens, which is very tiring. She knows they must find out what is wrong, so will just be going day by day. Please keep praying for this family.
Another ongoing story is the wife, whose husband had a brain tumor return. She was here today, so I was able to get an update. He has already had five sessions of radiation, out of eighteen scheduled at Overlake. His last one will be July 25. She showed me the paper schedule and said she is focused on getting past that date. She was happy to hear people are praying for them. I asked if they need anything specific. We gave her laundry detergent, some extra food, and some fun items for their daughter. She said gas-cards would be very helpful, because money is tight, and she is using lots of gas going back & forth from the hospital. I told her we’d try to find some for her when she comes back next Wednesday. His session that morning is at 10:00am, so she can come for groceries. Please continue to pray for this family.

As with each Saturday, here’s a look at statistics to date after 15 weeks:

Program Days: 90
Families currently in the program: 680+
People in these families: 3060 (approximate)
Grocery orders provided to-date: 14,168
Churches & Organizations engaged: 28
Different shoppers participating: 1050 (approximate)

We end this week with about 680 families in the program, which includes 20 new families. On Thursday, we restarted the waiting list for all new families, instead of bringing them directly into the program. They receive a ‘hospitality bag’, which is a full bag of groceries. There are 86 families whose last week in the program was this week, so there will be right around 600 families in the program beginning Monday.

Today marks the last day of week 15 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 15 - Day 6

Groceries for Families: Week 16 - Day 1

Groceries for Families: Week 15 - Day 5