Today was a much more comfortable day with the weather. The temperature was cold in the morning but not with the wet fog which made it worse. It actually was mild in the afternoon with a little sunshine. No complaints here! The morning started very slowly with deliveries trickling in, definitely due to the Presidential inauguration. After 10:30am or so, it picked up significantly and was steady until 12:30pm. Lots of groceries, pantry, and hygiene items coming in. Thank you, everyone. Families lined up early and kept a steady pace all afternoon. People seemed to be in a good mood. About 10 more families came off the waiting list today, which was nice to see. Another very good day.

Groceries today were provided by 24-Seven, Crossroads Bible, St. Louise, Bellevue Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel Eastside, Newport Covenant, Indian Fellowship, and Bellevue Christian Reformed churches, as well as the Rotary Club of Bellevue, the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 240 orders were expected and 256 were actually delivered. Thank you for the extra groceries! All but 34 were given to families today. The rest will go out first tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

The AM volunteers came from Bellevue Presbyterian Church today. All of the crew were veteran volunteers, so handled the busy, busy day very well. They brought in all the groceries and a steady flow of milk, as well as organized all the grocery bags, and packed the food. Well done and thank you, crew!

Food was purchased early this morning at Smart Food Services (formerly Cash & Carry). Along with the eggs from Costco, these items were bagged for the families. These are the contents: eggs, green pepper, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, onion, cucumber. Additionally, families were offered a choice of frozen meat. It has worked very well the past three weeks, while we await the return of food boxes.

Senior lunches went out yesterday to about 25 people in the community. Barb and her crew put together a weekly lovely lunch with lots of loving touches. We receive many pleasant comments back from the seniors. Thank you, Barb, Ashley, and Theresa.

An email from a family:

Greetings, the Toledo Family is so grateful to the people and organizations that make it possible for families to receive these groceries each week. Since COVID started my family has personally been affected by this pandemic, the groceries we have been receiving has helped us so much. We appreciate you!

A staff profile:

A picture is attached of Warren, who is a Jubilee REACH employee based at Sammamish High School as a Site Coach. Warren has been actively involved in the grocery program since the beginning and currently on Wednesdays, he works the 9am-12pm shift to support the AM crew of volunteers. His presence brings a strong leader and person with deep experience to lead a very busy part of the operation. Thank you, Warren!

Update on a family:

Many of you have been actively following the story of Shahin and her husband battling a recurrence of brain cancer. Over the weekend, he was rushed to Overlake with complications and has remained there since. They found a hole in his colon and are considering surgery. Shahin is staying at the hospital and has shared her worry. She knows people are hearing of her story, and she would welcome all prayers for their family. She did not come today for groceries, her normal day. Stay tuned. Please pray.

As written yesterday, we welcome the news of the USDA food boxes returning next week. It is certainly possible there is a delay of a day or two next week, and we will react accordingly if so. We will keep the communication coming. Please pray for Cascadia Produce. They are managing huge logistics to get food out to many, many people in King County and other parts of Washington. They are family owned and very good people, who understand their important role in helping people.

Thank you for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. Your continued support is making such a huge difference and impact in our community. It is needed. Thank you for all you are doing with your time, energy, and treasure.

Bless you all,

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

Groceries for Families: Week 43 - Day 2

Groceries for Families: Week 43 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 43 - Day 1