Groceries for Families: Week 60 - Day 2
May 19, 2021
Today was another interesting day of weather. The morning was very cold, rainy, and breezy…not much fun. Thank goodness the gutter system around the canopies still works so well. By noon, the rain had stopped, but it was still chilly. Yet, at 1pm, when we opened for families, the sun came out, giving way to a lovely afternoon. While the families benefited from the warm weather, the people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items had to face the elements. Thank you for the donations, everyone, and for getting a little wet. Families lined up right at 1pm and kept a steady pace up all afternoon. It was a typical Wednesday, which is great to see after the communication last week about the future of the program. It’s hard to know how people will react.
Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Delivery
Newport Covenant Delivery
Groceries today were provided by Newport Covenant, Bellevue Presbyterian, Crossroads Bible, St. Louise, Calvary Chapel Eastside, 24-Seven, 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 226 orders came in today and all but 24 went out to families today. The remaining will go out first thing tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated today.
Packing Food Boxes
Food boxes arrived late today, around 11:20am. The AM volunteers from Bellevue Presbyterian quickly wrapped four pallets in ice & blankets, and then blazed through packing one whole pallet of boxes with fresh produce. They worked hard all morning, on a busy Wednesday. Thank you, crew!
Reminder Sign
We are continuing to communicate changes to the program to families. A picture of the whiteboard at the front of the line is to the right. Daniel spent the afternoon greeting all families and providing a full letter for the first time or a reminder note as a second time. Next week notes will go in the grocery bags, so communication is coming from different places.
Preparing Diapers
One hidden part of the operation happens each afternoon on Tue, Wed and Thu. After the families have finished, 2-3 volunteers spend 1.5 hours opening diaper boxes and trimming the wrapped pouches to about 25-30 diapers each. They restock the two areas which hold the prepared diapers for the following day. It is quiet work and takes focus to get it all done. Those who do it weekly have become quite the experts. It is a very important part of GFF. Thank you, all!
A few updates and stories:
Bertha & Daniel
A picture of Bertha and Daniel is to the right. Bertha’s family is in the program, and she has been volunteering on the Wednesday afternoon shift since last fall. Her husband goes through the line and then goes home, while she stays to work until 3:30pm, when he returns to pick her up. She helps keep the market stocked and organized. We’ve come to adore her as part of the family. Today, she arrived very sadly, as her sister was due to come to visit from Mexico but learned on the day of departure she was positive for Covid-19, asymptomatic. So, the trip is now delayed until later in the summer. Bertha is both sad and worried now. She asked us to pray for her, which we did during the opening prayer.
Each of the shifts when families are here is staffed with four Jubilee REACH Site Coaches, who primarily work inside specific Bellevue public schools. They lead sports, clubs, and programs inside the schools, all intending to help every student feel like they belong. Most of the GFF families came as referrals from the Bellevue School District. So, lots of kids within the families have relationships with Jubilee REACH coaches at their schools. It is common and quite fun to see reunions happen inside the GFF operation. Coaches and kids greet each other as friends, with the kids just beaming at the chance to see their coach up close. Today had this happen at least five times, with lots of smiles, fist-bumps, and fun chatter. This overlap of worlds is a fun and quite important part of the success of the daily operation.
Fany is a woman who has come since last spring, usually picking up groceries for her family and her sister’s family. She doesn’t speak a lot of English, but we all know her for her smile and her usual attire of shorts and a t-shirt, no matter how cold the weather. For the last month, something must have changed for their families, because she now brings her two young children and her sister’s young son. There are three kids 2-3 years old strapped in car seats in the back seat. The new babysitter has become Trenton. Fany parks in the first handicapped spot, so Trenton can watch and entertain the three kids while she goes through the operation. It works, and everyone is happy…especially the kids, it seems. There is a nice relationship that has blossomed in this story.
Maria brought a small dish of Mexican tuna salad late today. Yum! We’ve had this before. Tomorrow, Barb will turn it into sandwiches for the crew’s lunch.
Today’s PM Crew
Thanks for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. Hopefully, this daily email keeps your heart connected to what is happening here and that you get a good sense of some of the people being served. They are lovely people and all have a story behind them. Some we know; most we don’t. Please continue to pray for them.
Blessings to you all,
Ken Carpenter
Director- Community Care, Jubilee REACH
On behalf of the Jubilee family
