Groceries for Families: Week 46 - Day 1
February 9, 2021
Week 46 of ‘Groceries for Families’ begins on what could be seen as a spring-like day by some. It was chilly, but the sun was out and the sky was clear. It felt good, especially knowing snow is in the forecast. The morning was a steady flow of people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. People are always in such a good mood here. Thank you, everyone! Families lined up across the grass at the beginning and kept a steady pace all afternoon. It didn’t feel especially rushed, but by the end of the day, a lot of food had left the building. What a great day!
Bellevue Christian Reformed Delivery
East Shore Unitarian Delivery
Groceries today came from Bellevue Kiwanis Club and the Jubilee Friends group, as well as Covenant Presbyterian, Awakening, Westminster Chapel, Bellevue Presbyterian, Crossroads Bible, East Shore Unitarian, Cornerstone Fellowship, Bellevue Christian Reformed, and Creekside Covenant churches. A total of 191 orders came in today and all went out to families, along with 43 orders carried over from last week. Thank you to everyone who donated today.
The market is primarily stocked with food brought by volunteers from local grocery stores. Each Sunday, volunteers bring food from the Safeway Thrasher’s Corner. Thank you, Kathy & Dale.
Three times a week, volunteers bring food from QFC Crossroads. These same volunteers also make extra trips to an outlet in Lynnwood from a vending machine company, which brings wonderful sandwiches, salads, and more, as well as soda in bottles.
These items add a lot to the market and are very popular. Thank you, Mike, Gil & Kyle. Additional food from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s also sometimes come via other local food banks.
Together, these wonderful people help make the market possible and very popular. Thank you, all!
Crossroads QFC Delivery
Today’s AM Crew
The AM crew came from Highland Covenant Church this morning. They worked hard and tolerated the cold. The food boxes were very late arriving today, so they pushed hard to the full amount before their shift was over. Thank you, crew!
Last Friday, we offered the families an extra market, to which about 100 of them came. Offered were a large variety of non-perishable items, a delivery from QFC Crossroads of fresh foods, and a delivery from the vending company. It was a great chance to help families stock their pantries. As a special treat during the Friday market, lunch was catered by Belle Pastry in downtown Bellevue, provided in to-go containers for about 40 meals. Belle Pastry provided mixed croissants and incredible desserts. A Taiwanese restaurant in Seattle partnered with them to provide Bento Box lunches. All of this was sponsored by Lake Washington Endodontics. The first 40 families who came through the market each received a complete meal. Thank you!
Senior Lunches
Senior lunches were delivered today to 31 individuals in the community by Barb and her crew. Included today were fresh tulips, brought by volunteers from the QFC Crossroads.
Here’s an email back today from one person: “I just wanted to thank you for including me in your delivery schedule for lunches. I really do enjoy them, and you were right... they are very good. I also want to add, that the flowers are very pretty, and I do enjoy them! This is all much appreciated. Thank you!” Thank you, crew!
A few stories to share:
Hot beef tacos were brought this afternoon by Angelina and her son, Brian. Topped with onion, cilantro, lime, and hot sauce, these were very tasty as a late lunch for the crew. Angelina is a great cook and continues to express her gratitude through her cooking.
One of the families who came to the Friday market is Liliana (Lili). She comes for groceries on Tuesdays and always brings each staff member a bottle of water. So nice. When the market ended at 2pm, she returned to ask if we had any remaining wrapped sandwiches. We had about 20 -30 leftover, with no home. She and her son took them directly to Pioneer Square and passed them out to homeless men there. She returned about an hour later with pictures of a few men with sandwiches. She said it was a little scary because she was alone with her son, but felt very called to go help. She’s offered to do it again. Wow! What a wonderful gesture. Thank you, Lili!
In the orientation for the AM volunteer crew today, we talked about how the drivers for some of the delivery companies (Amazon, Insta-Cart, Safeway, etc) sometimes inquire about getting food for their own families, once they see the operation at Jubilee. We’ve often shared food with them, as most could easily be in this program. Part of today’s crew was Kathy & Mike Holmgren. Some of you will know Mike as the former head coach of the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. During the morning, an Insta-Cart delivery came to the front door of Jubilee, which is not the normal side for deliveries. The driver (Robert) was wearing a bright Green Bay Packers hat. Asked how long he had been a fan, he said since the early ’90s, so it was clear he would know Mike. We invited him to the backside of Jubilee and told him his day was about to be made and his mind was about to be blown. Introducing Robert to Mike, Robert exclaimed “NO WAY! It’s really you. Wow, I’m a huge fan.” Mike is a gracious person and quickly returned the appreciation back to Robert. They had a nice conversation about Wisconsin, with Robert just beaming, seeing one of his heroes. We took a few pictures on Robert’s phone. As he exited the building he said, “Man, you didn’t just make my day…you made my year.”
If a map of how the ‘Groceries for Families’ program works were to be drawn out, there would be a part of it with delivery people like Robert on it. However small, Robert has a role here, which makes this place go. He matters to this operation. Beyond that, HE MATTERS as a person. Whatever love and care expressed to families, donors and volunteers needs to be equally shared with people like Robert. He is important. Today, Robert walked away very happy. We are blessed to have people like him serving here.
Today’s PM Crew
We begin this week with 726 families (3,267 people) in the grocery program. There are 52 families on the waiting list now, all of whom came after we last cleared the waiting list in early January. Of the 52, there are 9 families that previously left the program in the fall and have now returned. (Waiting list families are still invited to come once per week and do receive food.) There are 62 families on the ‘watch list’, mainly for irregular attendance. We’re working with them to find out why. We are closely watching the operation to determine when families from the watch list can be brought into the full program. It is a balance of inventory and time.
Thank you for the continued support of this program and these vulnerable members of our community. Together, we are making a difference in many lives.
Stay warm!
Ken Carpenter
Director- Community Care, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
