April 21, 2021

Well, it appears the 70-degree temperatures will end tomorrow. It’s been a nice ride and great for people to be in shorts for a few days. It will return! Today couldn’t have been much nicer. The morning was cool but pleasant. The day warmed up nicely to a simply lovely afternoon. Hopefully, you found a way to enjoy it. The morning was very busy in the parking lot here with many happy people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone. Many people seemed to find friends in the parking lot today and took advantage of the warm morning to stay and chat. Love that. The afternoon was very busy with families, with the initial line staying strong from 1:00pm to 2:30pm. There was a short lull then, but the line returned quickly. Lots of food went out today. Great day here.

Groceries today were provided by Crossroads Bible, Bellevue Presbyterian, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Newport Covenant, St. Louise, Calvary Chapel Eastside, Indian Fellowship, and 24-Seven churches, as well as the Rotary Club of Bellevue, the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 243 orders came in, and all but 30 went out to families today. The remaining will be first out tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated today!

Food boxes arrived early today, about 10am - our delivery window is 10:30am-12:00pm. We asked the driver, John, to kindly wait to unload the truck to keep the boxes cold as long as possible. He was happy to oblige and even cranked the temperature in the refrigerated down to 20 degrees to get them even colder. Nice. About 10:40am, he started unloading. The AM volunteers from Bellevue Presbyterian Church wrapped them very quickly in gel ice packs and insulating blankets. (see picture to the right). The crew did a great job all morning receiving deliveries and packed one pallet of boxes at 11:30am. Well done, crew!

Renewal Food Bank brought a nice load of loaves of bread and bakery items today. They often share extra items on Wednesday afternoons. Thank you, Susie and volunteers.

On the left is a picture of volunteers working with cooking oil and dish soap this afternoon is attached. Families can bring their own containers to receive both items.

After each shift with families here, one thing we do is drain the last drops of each into a pitcher to use the next day. We want to be good stewards of the donated items. The bottles are then washed out and recycled.

When large oil containers are donated, we pour them into smaller containers, which is what is happening in this picture. This is just a glimpse into the operation.

With the sun angle changing daily, we discovered last week the market area is now getting washed in sunlight during the afternoon when food is there. It makes it very difficult to keep perishable items from warming too quickly.

A volunteer added sunscreens yesterday, which we can lower with a cord. It worked perfectly today! We take the responsibility of keeping food safety very seriously. Most of the things we do for this purpose are actually never seen by families. But the sun hitting the market is very visible to everyone. We hope families noticed today that the sunscreens are there to keep their food safe. By this, hopefully, they trust us more. Thank you, Jeff and Gayle.

A few updates and stories:

We spoke to a woman named Vu in the parking lot this afternoon. She had just picked up food for her family. She has been in the program since last spring. Their family is fine but has not come out of the crisis. Both she and her husband lost their jobs at a restaurant in Bellevue last March. As restaurants have reopened, the owners have not rehired the service staff because most of the business is take-out and delivery. The owners are doing much of the work themselves. So, there is no work for them. Money is tight. Their spirits are down. She said the food and items they get at Jubilee weekly had made all the difference. They are so grateful. It was a wonderful conversation.

Two young girls stand in line each Wednesday for groceries. Today, we learned a bit more about their story. They are 10 & 12 years old and are the only ones in their family who speak English. Their parents and grandparents are not comfortable coming to Jubilee. So, the girls come. The adults wait in the car. These girls are so brave.

We’re beginning to see children turning 1-year old who were born during the beginning months of the GFF program. We remember certain women who were pregnant last spring, who now have big babies. It’s such a strange thing, yet feels so natural. We’re doing life together.

Thanks for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families.’ Your support and sustained dedication to these families are making a difference in their lives. You love your neighbor. It is working. Thank you so much!

Have a great evening, wherever this email finds you.

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

Groceries for Families: Week 56 - Day 2

Groceries for Families: Week 56 - Day 3

Groceries for Families: Week 56 - Day 1