Today was Day 3 of re-registering the families for Version 2 next week and should be the last really big push. We learned from the past two days, so made a few adjustments to make today a bit better. Still, it was disruptive enough to the regular afternoon operation, to make it a difficult time for both the families and staff. It’s good to be past it. The morning was very busy with incoming deliveries, including quite a few from online orders. The afternoon didn’t fully wrap up until 3:40pm when the last family finished registering. Long day, for sure, but feels good.

Groceries today were provided by Highland Covenant, Bellevue Christian Reformed, St. Louise, Crossroads Bible, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 125 orders came in and all went out to families today. Thank you to everyone who participated today.

Lots of extras came in today from different places. Grocery shoppers including a variety of extras. Gardeners from the area dropped off freshly picked fruit and vegetables. A volunteer brought a donation from the QFC Crossroads. It made for a nice assortment for families to choose from. Thank you to everyone who gave!

Today was the last day for hygiene items to be offered this week. The crew and volunteers flipped the whole lobby to be ready for tomorrow with diapers and bulk foods. It looks great! Thank you to everyone who helped stock the pantry.

A food truck will be at Jubilee REACH this Friday from 4-7pm. It will be Greek food from Athena’s. Plan to come!

A personal story from Ken today:

I carried groceries out to a car today for a woman whom I’ve not met personally before. As we walked across the parking lot, we chatted about our families. She was quite somber and shared her mom is dealing with breast cancer in Mexico. She is very concerned about her, saying the Covid crisis has made it even harder. She had to stay in the hospital longer and have extra precautions at home. Her heart hurts that she can’t be with her right now. The speak daily on video chat. This is just an example of real life happening, despite the Covid crisis. It felt good that she was comfortable enough with me to share this private news. Please join me in praying for her and her mom.
More food was delivered to the crew yesterday and today, as a thank you from families. One woman brought beans and rice with milk, both staples in Mexico (Daniel tells me). Another group Mexican flan: vanilla, corn and Neapolitan. Another brought Mexican jello. Another brought Mexican cheesecake. Wow! A lot of love was poured into these dishes. Let me tell you…Mexican jello is fantastic!

Re-registration of families continued today in the market area and finished with 95 more ready for next week.

We offered some families who were having to wait, that they could register on Saturday. No one took us up on this.

There is strong motivation to get registered and a spot in V2 confirmed.

Everyone was very patient and made the best of it.

Thank you for another great day in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. The week is half over. There are just three more days left in the current version of the program. Thanks for all your doing to care for these dear families in our community. It’s working, and it matters.

Have a great evening,

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

Groceries for Families: Week 23 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 23 - Day 4

Groceries for Families: Week 23 - Day 2