February 10, 2021

With the threat of snow in the forecast, today felt like one more day of reprieve. Other than being chilly in the morning, the weather was quite pleasant and certainly helps make the operation easier. Now, we wait to see what happens tomorrow. Today was a good day. The morning was a steady in-flow of people dropping off groceries, pantry & hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! Families lined up sharply at 1pm and kept a sizeable line all afternoon. The last family left about 3:30pm and then about 8 more drifted in over the next half hour, which isn’t great but we work to accommodate.

Groceries today were provided by the Jubilee Friends group, Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Rotary Club of Bellevue, as well as Calvary Chapel Eastside, Newport Covenant, Indian Fellowship, St. Louise, Crossroads Bible, Bellevue Christian Reformed, 24-Seven and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 285 orders came in (Thank you for the extras!) and all but 42 went out to families today. The rest will go out first thing tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

Food boxes arrived at 8:45am, and the morning crew from Bellevue Presbyterian did a great job of packing them later in the morning. We purchased fresh produce from Smart Foodservice early this morning to add to the food boxes and this week have included garlic bulbs for each family. The food boxes now contain a head of lettuce, which we used to buy. That saving allows the garlic to be added.

One shopper brought a delivery of diapers & more this morning, having organized a drive in her neighborhood. It’s such a great way to get others involved. Thank you, Debbie!

Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to decorate the outside and add notes to the grocery bags.

Some of you are very creative! We are seeing plenty of Valentine’s Day references. Very fun! Thank you.

Thanks to those who have been bringing flowers. Today we were able to hand out small bouquets to about 40 women, as well as some Valentine’s Day candy boxes and even a few stuffed animals with candy. The flowers really are a joy for women to receive. We can’t have enough for everyone, but we’ll continue to pass them out as you bring them. Thank you!

Thanks, also, for the mandarin oranges. Not one person has turned them down, and people light up when they see them in their grocery carts. What a fun treat! Thank you.

A few updates:

Many of you have been following the story of Shahin, whose husband has been battling a reoccurrence of brain cancer since June. He is near the end and came home last weekend for his final days. Shahin was here briefly yesterday and shared how special coming to Jubilee is to her because she knows there are people here who care that her husband is dying. Please pray for her family. They have a teenage daughter and live close to Jubilee. Our hearts are breaking for them.
A few weeks ago, in this space, you read about Marcia (mar-SEE-up). https://www.jubileereach.org/blog/2021/1/14/groceries-for-families-week-42-day-2 Ever since then, she has come on Tuesdays in a clear state of sadness and worry. She is very quiet normally, so we can simply see it in her eyes. Her English is very minimal, so we need a Spanish speaker to connect deeper with her. Yesterday, Daniel was working, and Marcia came very late in the afternoon when few people were there. He was able to ask her some questions. Since her mom died and Marcia returned from Nicaragua, there has been a very heavy burden on Marcia and her family to support their extended family in Nicaragua. It is an expectation within their culture and family that those in America will send money, supplies, clothing, and more. Specifically, her sister has been particularly painful to deal with. Marcia’s own family here is struggling daily, so this extra responsibility is suffocating. They can’t say no, but they are giving well past what they can afford. Daniel said telling someone seemed to be helpful for her, as she was grateful for the concern. We asked how we could help, but she said there is nothing. Please pray for them. They are a beautiful family, with a daughter at a local high school.

For those of you looking ahead, here is the extended hygiene list for the grocery orders. The food portion of the grocery orders remains unchanged.

Thanks for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. We’ll see if the snow impacts the operation tomorrow or not. Either way, we’ll continue to love on these families as much as possible. Thank you so much for your prayers, generosity, time, energy, and sustaining spirit.

Have a great evening, wherever this email finds you tonight.

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

Groceries for Families: Week 46 - Day 2

Groceries for Families: Week 46 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 46 - Day 1