Groceries for Families: Week 41 - Day 2
Finally a dry day! How nice it was to not think about rain and keeping things & people dry. Even the temperature was tolerable. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow. The operation was wonderful today, with lots of activity all day. The morning was very busy with incoming groceries & pantry items delivered by happy people. The morning volunteers commented on how joyful people are as they drop things off. Thank you!!! The afternoon had a long line of families at 1:00pm, which stayed busy up until 3:15pm. All was very smooth.
Indian Fellowship Delivery
Calvary Chapel Eastside Delivery
Groceries were provided today by Newport Covenant, Calvary Chapel Eastside, Bellevue Presbyterian, 24-Seven, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Crossroads Bible, Indian Fellowship and St. Louise churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group, Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Rotary Club of Bellevue. A total of 259 orders were delivered, above the expected number of 237. Thank you for the extras! All but 30 went out to families today. The rest will carry over to tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated today.
Bellevue Rotary Club Delivery
Lots of milk came in this morning with the groceries. Thank you!!! With the three reach-in refrigerators, it all was kept cold until the afternoon. Most of it went out today to families, and the rest will carry over to tomorrow. As you read yesterday, we will need to rely upon such milk donations each week until the USDA boxes begin again in early February. Right now, QFC has half gallons on sale for $.99. Whole milk and 2% are preferred. Thank you for this extra help.
Today’s AM Crew
The AM volunteers came from Bellevue Presbyterian and Crossroads Bible churches. They were kept very busy with incoming groceries and packing food boxes. Thank you, crew!
Like yesterday, fresh food was purchased this morning for families: eggs, bananas, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, green pepper, and carrots.
Families were given the choice of frozen beef, chicken, or pork, which has been kept from QFC donation over the last few months. This new process is working very well.
You likely see QFC carts in some of the daily pictures. We’ve borrowed (with permission) about 12 carts from the nearby QFC store. Each family uses a cart to take their initial food to their vehicles. The picture to the right shows Sterling with the carts at opening time, all lined up and stocked with food. These carts have become essential to keeping the operation flowing smoothly.
Carts Ready!
A few emails from families:
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for doing the groceries for everyone who needs it. I and my family appreciate everything you do to make this program possible. Again, thank you to everyone involved. Virtual hugs to all of you. I just can’t thank you enough.
Once more I want to use this communication way to express our feelings of gratitude for the incredible help that my family and myself have received from you during several months of the hardest year of our lives. These generous actions will be unforgettable for all of us. Fortunately this new year has brought a relief to our financial situation that will allow us to continue without your extraordinary and kind help and we want let that someone else can obtain what we have been receiving so far. We wish you the best for this new year and send big hugs. The Lord will bless you.
(This last note is encouraging, as it is a family becoming self-supporting once again, removing themselves from the program. We hope to see more of this in the first half of 2021, as work returns, primarily to the restaurant, hotel, construction and gig industries.)
A man named Jose use to come early on Wednesday mornings to get food, because he worked at a local restaurant during the day. Today, he came in the afternoon. With the restaurant closed now, he has no more work. Life just got harder. He is hopeful they will reopen and rehire him in the next month or two. For now, he is trying to find any work to sustain his family. He is a very nice man, who only wants to care for his wife and kids. This is the reality most families are facing. Please pray for Jose.
Today’s PM Crew
Thank you for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. Have a great evening, wherever this email finds you.
Ken Carpenter
Director- Community Care, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
