Groceries for Families: Week 26 - Day 3
Somehow it is already Thursday, and another week of Groceries for Families 1.5 is coming to an end. Before we jump into today’s activities, I wanted to give an extra shout out to St. Louise Church for donating yesterday! I accidently forgot to add their name in the list of donating churches but wanted to ensure recognition to all their returning and new donors! We so appreciated you all dropping off bags yesterday morning!
For today, before I explain the details of the day, I want to continue the shout out list!
This morning, after realizing we were going to need extra produce for the boxes, not only did our Jubilee Reach team step up, but we had some amazing volunteers fill a need to make today successful.
Therefore, I want to say a huge thank you to our grocery shopping volunteers, specifically Irene (see picture to the right) who willingly grabbed extra produce when we asked last minute; a thank you to
Ed Park for picking up pallets from Farmer Frog and delivering extra boxes to Pastor Geraldo in West Seattle; and finally a huge thank you to Alleigha, another site coach, who has stepped up to support the PM crew while Ken is on vacation.
Every day, but especially today, these people made Groceries for Families possible.
Irene - Volunteer Grocery Runner
Bellevue Rotary AM drop off
Now, this morning we received groceries from Lighthouse Church, BelPres, Crossroads Bible, Highland Covenant, Sacred Heart Presbyterian, Sacred Heart School, OPPC, FUMC, Doxa, Jubilee Friends, and Bellevue Sunrise Rotary.
Thank you to everyone for donating bags today! We also received some fresh greens from local farmers that was set out in the market this afternoon.
The morning seemed to fly by, and everyone was quick to get boxes ready for the PM crew to complete.
As noon rolled around, all coaches were working together today to prep for food distribution.
Families arrived early but patiently waited for us to officially open our doors. Once doors opened, we got the line moving quickly as boxes and bags were passed out.
Our register line was also quite busy today. We added 15 more families to the program which means this week alone 57 new families were registered.
What is amazing is that we are also having more people sign up to donate in order to provide for these families. Praise God!
PM Crew
Beginning next week, we will officially begin Groceries for Families 2.0. It’s very exciting to continue providing the need and begin shifting our processes to a more simplified version. We will still be setting up a market and will provide extra pantry items for families. As we look into how to best prepare for the next weeks to come, my final ask is for donors to possibly bring an additional item or two for the pantry. These needed items are listed below:
Quart size zip lock freezer bags
Laundry pods
Baby wipes
Bulk Rice (25 lbs bags and up)
Feminine Hygiene (pads and tampons)
As today winds down I have one more thought- well more of a prayer. For me, prayer is essential for Groceries for Families to run and it has been so cool (couldn’t think of a better word) to see prayers answered daily. Therefore, I wanted to invite you all into my prayer I have tonight. If you would like to, please pray this with me:
“Father God,
Thank you for who you are as our savior, our provider, and our comforter. Thank you for allowing us to be your hands and feet and serve the Bellevue community. As we finish up this week, may you bless the families that received groceries, bless the donors who provided the food items, and bless the volunteers and staff that made Groceries for Families run this week. Please continue to be our strength as we remain serving and loving those in need. Lord, may we continue to be prayerful about our world today. In these times of grief, hardship, and unknown futures, may we be people that seek you first. You are a good God who is life and light. May we continue to shine your light in this world.
In your name,
Amen”
Have a wonderfully blessed evening! Thank you for all your support this week. I look forward to writing a new entry next Tuesday!
Blessings,
Erika Dull
Jubilee REACH Managing Site Coach
