January 13, 2021

After the rain yesterday and last night’s storm, today turned out to be a lovely day of weather. The sun came through most of the day and, while the temperatures were chilly, it was very tolerable to be outside. Lots of happy people streamed in all morning, dropping off groceries, milk, and hygiene items. Thank you everyone! The pace of families was very similar to yesterday. The line was full when the operation opened and stayed full all afternoon. The last families were served right at 3:30pm. It was a great day!

Groceries today were provided by Newport Covenant, Calvary Chapel Eastside, 24-Seven, Bellevue Presbyterian, St. Louise, Indian Fellowship, Crossroads Bible, and Bellevue Christian Reformed churches, as well as the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Bellevue, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 254 orders came in today, above the expected 246. Thank you for the extra orders! All but 30 went out to families today. These will carry over to go out first thing tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

The fierce storm last night was merciful to Jubilee REACH. We did not lose power, which would have made things very difficult in preserving food. Of all the canopies outside, only the last carport in the row where families line up was impacted. It was turned about 40 degrees, with some of its tethers broken, but not damaged. Three volunteers came by 9am to put it back in place and inspect everything else. That everything withstood the storm so well is a testament to how well the structures were built & secured last fall. Thank you, Jeremy, Jeff, and Charlie for coming today.

The morning volunteers came from Bellevue Presbyterian Church, with a few subs added to round out the team. This group managed a very busy morning and got everything done on time. Thank you, crew!

We’ve welcomed back three Jubilee REACH staff veterans to the PM crew this week. Yesterday, Jubilee REACH Media and Communications Manager, Lois, joined the crew. Today, Jubilee REACH Event Manager, Ashley, was right in the middle of things all afternoon. (Some of you may know Ashley as the person who plans ‘Festival of Trees’ each fall.) Tomorrow, Jubilee REACH Investor Relations Coordinator, Liz, will be with us. All three were regulars in the spring and summer, but have been busy with other Jubilee REACH priorities during the fall. Now, they are back, and it’s great!

A few quick stories:

There is a family from Nicaragua which has been highlighted in this email in the past. Marcia (mar-SEE-uh) is the mom and has usually been the one to pick up groceries. She has been absent for a few months, which has been odd. Her husband has been coming to get groceries, but we don’t know him as well, so it’s hard to pick him out in the line. Yesterday, Marcia showed up, and it was truly a reunion. Denisse knows their family, so was very excited. We exchanged a nice hug, all of us very happy to be reunited. She doesn’t speak English, but Denisse explained that Marcia’s mom passed away, so she went to Nicaragua to manage the family plans. It was a hard few months, but she is happy to be back. We’ll start seeing her again each Tuesday. It showed the personal connection we feel too many of the families to miss her and then be so excited for her return.
Miriam has been a constant presence at Jubilee since the beginning and has a huge heart for helping others. She seems to be the community organizer for some of the families and will regularly pick up for multiple families. She certainly cares about the people living around her and does more than her share to bring food to people. We all adore her. She is friendly, laughs a lot, and is always happy to be at Jubilee. Today was no exception.
Some of you have asked about the Jewish family, which was often profiled in this email in the spring and especially the summer. They are still with us. They only eat fruit and vegetables, so don’t come for groceries like everyone else. The father, David, comes Tuesdays at 11am to go through the market area. This is when the market offers the most options which their family can use. We also invite him back when random fruits and vegetables show up at Jubilee. They seem to be doing well. Their daughter is happy with online school at Highland. What started as a rough relationship last spring, is a solid friendship of trust now.

Thank you for another great day. This program continues to roll along. If there is anyone you’d like to invite to get involved, such as friends, neighbors, family, feel free to utilize the Jubilee Friends sign-up list for groceries: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b49a5aa2ba3fd0-jubilee.

For those of you in the area without power tonight, we all hope you stay warm and get power back on soon.

Ken Carpenter
Director- Community Care, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family

Groceries for Families: Week 42 - Day 2

Groceries for Families: Week 42 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 42 - Day 1