GROCERIES FOR FAMILIES

Supporting families affected by the pandemic with food, hygiene items, and other necessities

Jubilee REACH Communications 11/11/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 11/11/20

Groceries for Families: Week 33 - Day 2

We continue to benefit from cool but dry weather this week, which we will definitely take over rainy and windy any day. The wind is coming as soon as tomorrow and definitely Friday, so hopefully, we miss the worst of it tomorrow afternoon. Today was a rather routine day in the operation, which is always welcome. Shoppers were busy all morning dropping off groceries and pantry items. It’s delightful to see so many people coming into the parking lot, all doing their part to support this program. Families on Wednesday often arrive early to be social and enjoy the coffee we put out for them. Today there were about 20 people enjoying some community long before we opened. One started, the line persisted well out onto the lawn from 1pm-3:30pm. It was non-stop busy, but another great day.

Groceries today came from Bellevue Christian Reformed, St. Louise, Crossroads Bible, 24-Seven, Victory Court, Bellevue Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel Eastside and Newport Covenant churches, as well as the Rotary Club of Bellevue, Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 238 orders came in, which is about 30 more than were expected. Thank you to all who brought extra today, wow! All but 11 went out to families today, so we actually needed quite a few of the extra. Thank you to everyone who participated today.

Moments after yesterday’s email summary was sent, a text came from the food box delivery company, Cascadia Produce, letting us know there was another delay in the new food boxes. After speaking on the phone, we learned one of the protein items did not arrive, and the USDA requirements do not allow incomplete boxes to be shipped.

Cascadia offered a solution of sending 200 produce-only boxes, which could be rolled into the King County grant we have. So, this morning early a truck arrived to deliver the boxes which included kale, leeks, collard greens, golden beets, acorn squash, and green cabbage.

Since most of these are unique vegetables, we made the decision to empty the boxes and put all of it directly into the market, so people could choose. This was the right decision and made the market great. Inside the boxes, we included: half a gallon of milk, onion, potatoes, red beets, frozen meat (we didn’t have enough for everyone) and everything purchased this morning at Cash & Carry (lettuce, tomatoes, bananas, green pepper, cucumber, carrots, and cheese). It actually worked out fine, although not as balanced and a bit more expensive.

The extra milk brought for yesterday’s families was desperately needed today. Without it, we would have had no milk today.

When lots of extra milk came yesterday, someone asked why we thought so much came. We didn’t know then but said there must be a reason for us to discover. Now we know why. Thank you so much to all who brought milk this week. Such a blessing.

Cascadia Produce has already confirmed that the new food boxes will indeed begin Thursday, so tomorrow’s summary should be able to detail those well. Hopefully, they show up on time. Stay tuned.

The AM volunteer group came from Bellevue Presbyterian. They did a great job of keeping the incoming groceries organized, especially with the increased numbers. They also helped figure out how to handle the produce boxes and best pack things for the families. Once a plan was in place, they quickly got to work making the final boxes. It was a great crew. Thank you!

A sweet story:

Before we opened today at 1pm, a woman approached the entrance to give something to the crew. She had a thank you not to give us and wanted to present it herself. She doesn’t speak English, so had her son write it for her. She was shy but very happy. The crew was very touched. She made our day. Please receive this thank you note yourself, as it is written to you, too.

Food!

Late yesterday, two families brought food for the crew, as often happens on Tuesdays. A woman brought ‘arroz con leche’, rice with milk. She has brought this before, and it is a favorite. Think of warm white rice with sweet milk flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. Two women brought homemade tamales, stuffed with meat and peppers, and homemade Mexican sweet bread. Oh my! The crust is thick and crunchy like a cookie, while the inside is puffed up like a pastry and very soft. Yummy! It is so special when love is poured back into the crew through food. Although you can’t enjoy the food, please accept their thanks, too.

Thank you for another wonderful day in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program.

Blessings to you,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 11/10/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 11/10/20

Groceries for Families: Week 33 - Day 1

Week 11 of the 2nd Version of ‘Groceries for Families’ starts today with a very busy and smooth-running operation. The weather felt shaky at the beginning but the rain held off all day. The temperature seemed to hover in the mid-40’s, which felt just fine if you kept moving. The morning was a steady flow of incoming groceries, pantry items, and milk. The afternoon was very, very busy with a line of at least 20 deep all afternoon until 3:15pm. The crew did a great job of serving people while also keeping the line moving. Another great day! Thank you.

Groceries today were provided by Westminster Chapel, Creekside Covenant, Cornerstone, Crossroad Bible, Bellevue Presbyterian, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Evangelical Chinese, Covenant Presbyterian and Awakening churches, as well as the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 160 orders were brought and another 45 extra orders were carried over from last week. All 205 went out to families today. That is a lot!!! Thank you to everyone who donated today.

The call for milk went out on Sunday and you all answered it with total generosity & care. At least 400 gallons arrived yesterday and today. Each family received a ½ gallon in their grocery bag today and then were invited to take more as they needed from the market. It is such a blessing to be able to offer extra fresh milk. Families were very, very happy. Thank you for being such a responsive and giving community. There is enough milk leftover to offer tomorrow’s family the same invitation to take extra.

The reason for the need for milk is because the new USDA food boxes were delayed one day. So no boxes came today. We have received confirmation they will come tomorrow for the first time. We are anxious to see the contents and how it will impact the operation. Delivery is expected sometime tomorrow morning. Stay tuned!

Fresh produce obtained through two different grants from King County was delivered yesterday by Cascadia Produce. A small amount went into a market on Monday for senior citizens in our community. About 50 have been invited. Yesterday about 30 came and another 10 were delivered today with the senior lunches. The larger produce delivery was for the grocery program and started to go out today. In the delivery: Brussel sprouts (on the stalk), red beets, green cabbage, cilantro, butternut squash, kale. All of it comes from farms in King County. So great!

The area around the picnic tables had already turned to mud with the recent rains and the area under the main carport on the lawn was headed that way.

One of you donated and delivered three bales of straw, which was spread nicely by volunteers.

Today was the first day to use it with families and it was great. The picnic tables were used once more, whereas they had been avoided because of the mud. More than one family asked when the barnyard animals are coming next. Very funny and quite appropriate. Thank you to the donors!

The AM volunteer crew came from Highland Covenant Church this morning.

They were exceptionally busy with the grocery inflow, the food bag packing, and handling all the incoming milk. They did an outstanding job and had a lot of fun. Thank you crew!

If you’d like to bring a crew of 8 to work this unique shift, sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b094daeaf2fa6fc1-volunteer1.

Here’s a very fun story which will amaze you:

The Jubilee kitchen reach-in refrigerator is very old and has been on its last legs for years. Over the summer, it was breaking down every 6 weeks or so, not cooling to more than 50 degrees. In this operation, it is very difficult to be down one of the main refrigerators, as you can imagine. We would have it repaired for $300-$500, only to have it die again. It happened again in mid-October. This time, Barb, the Hospitality Manager, firmly requested we simply buy a new one, rather than continuing to suffer the ongoing trouble. It was soon agreed a grant would be sought to cover the large expense. Barb and Ken agreed to simply wait & run the operation down one refrigerator. We agreed to pray about it and let go of the worry. That was October 26. The next day, October 27, a couple was dropping off groceries approached Ken with a question. “Do you have enough refrigeration?” That is an odd question. We usually have enough, sort of. “Yes, but do you have any refrigeration needs?”, they persisted. Well, the largest need is the replacement of the kitchen reach-in refrigerator, explaining to them the story briefly. “We want to buy you a new one.” What!? Three days later, on Oct 30, the new refrigerator was ordered, with a delivery date of the end of November. Wow! Such a blessing. Wait, there’s more. The call for milk on Sunday put an immediate strain on refrigeration here. There simply would not be enough for all the incoming milk, plus the normal items needing to be cold. Plan B was not yet uncovered. Somehow, word came the new refrigerator would be delivered Monday morning, three weeks early. What?! Sure enough, a large delivery truck arrived yesterday. Within an hour, it was installed. (See picture of Barb on the right with the new unit.) Soon after, it was cold, and by the end of Monday, it was full of milk. Without it, we would have had to take milk offsite for refrigeration or filled many bins with ice. How’s that for a good story? Thank you, thank you to these wonderful and generous donors, who somehow followed a nudge to ask about refrigeration and turned out to be an answered prayer.

As this email shared on Thursday, laundry pods and diapers are the largest pantry need. Our supply of diapers has reach a point where we will run out soon of some sizes. A wholesale order has been placed, but won’t arrive until the end of November. We have three weeks to cover before then. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

We begin this week with 672 families in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program (222 Tuesday, 232 Wednesday, 218 Thursday. There were 21 new families added last week. There are 66 families we are trying to assist to come more frequently before being removed from the program for poor attendance. There have been 31 families removed from the program since September 1.

The need of this support remains very steady. With the pandemic continuing and the virus numbers in the state & King county climbing, the chance for jobs to return quickly is suppressed. Thank you for all you are doing to support this program and these dear members of our community. It is exactly where we all are called to be. Please keep going. You can get friends involved through the Jubilee Friends site: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b49a5aa2ba3fd0-jubilee. More help is needed.

Have a great evening,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 11/5/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 11/5/20

Groceries for Families: Week 32 - Day 3

The 3rd day with families this week went off without a hitch and was a great way to end the week. The rain persisted most of the day, which made things more difficult for everyone. It definitely kept some families away, which is normal with bad weather. The shoppers braved the rain this morning and kept a steady stream of groceries and pantry items flowing in. Families came early and late, with the middle being a slight lull. For sure, there were some people waiting to see if the rain would stop. Alas, no such luck.

Groceries today were brought by Lighthouse, Highland Covenant, Sacred Heart Parish & School, Overlake Park Presbyterian, Bellevue Presbyterian, Doxa, Crossroads Bible, Newport Covenant and Calvary Chapel Eastside churches, as well as the Rotary Bellevue Sunrise Club and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 168 orders came in today and all went out to families.

Volunteers brought the perishable food boxes and milk from Bellevue Presbyterian this morning. Thank you crew!

Costco delivered purchased eggs early. We purchased fresh fruit and vegetables this morning at Cash & Carry. By 10:00am, it was all in place, ready for food box construction.

The AM volunteer crew today came from Bellevue Presbyterian. We were missing a couple of people, so the smaller crew worked extra hard and got everything done. They received and prepared all the incoming groceries, as well as got the food box production started. They had a lot of fun. Thank you, crew!

A pallet of cauliflower was donated today by Cascadia Produce in Auburn. Our truck was there early to pick up two pallets. We dropped one at our partner location in White Center, Seattle. The other was brought to Jubilee with about 32 cases. Most of it went out to families today. It was very popular. A few remaining heads are still here and will go out tomorrow to anyone who comes.

We did have two carport canopies damaged by the very strong wind last night.

Volunteers came this morning to begin repairs. Using all the good parts, they put one back in place and secured it down tightly.

The other carport will need replacement parts shipped. We discovered there is a weak link in the construction, which caused the failure.

The volunteers engineered a plastic sleeve to slide over the weak link providing rigid reinforcement. Wow! Thank you Dan, Jeff, and Charlie.

A delivery from Eastside Baby Corner came today. This dear partner in Issaquah has been providing a weekly delivery of diapers and more since the spring. Thank you EBC and Theresa for delivering!

A few emails from families today:

Gracias todo el staf q hacen posible por repartir la comida Dios bendiga a cada uno de ustedes y muchisimas gracias a todas las personas de buen corazon q Dios les bendiga y multiplique la ayuda q nos brindan yo soy la mama de 3 hijos un niño de 12 años un niño de 9 años y una niña de 1 año y mi esposo esta desempleado desde marzo la ayuda q ustedes nos brindan es de gran ayuda he vivido en Bellevue por 17 años los cuales mi esposo siempre a trabajado muy duro para sacarnos adelanté y jamas habiamos pedido o recibido ayuda de ningun tipo hasta ahora q nuestra situacion esta muy muy difil con todo nustro corazon decimos gracias Jublie.

Thanks to all the staff who make it possible to distribute the food. God bless each of you and thank you very much to all the people with a good heart that God bless you and multiply the help you give us. I am the mother of 3 children, a child of 12 years, 9 years, and 1 year old and my husband has been unemployed since March, the help that you give us is great. I’ve been living in Bellevue for 17 years which my husband has always worked very hard to get us ahead and we have never asked or received any kind of help until now that our situation is very difficult with all our hearts we say thank you jubilee.

Hi, I would like to thank all the people that helped and are helping to provide groceries and other items for my family each Wednesday. We are a one-income family of six. God bless you all. Have a great day! Thank you so much!

The week ends with a few items running low in the pantry inventory. Laundry pods top the list, as we look ahead to next week. Beyond that, our diaper supply is beginning to run very, very low. We’ve placed a wholesale order this week to shore up the inventory, but it won’t come until the end of November and won’t include the very popular size 6. The inventory of all sizes (newborn, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6) are very low. Only size 3 is currently stable. Thank you in advance for helping to build back the inventory.

Thank you for another wonderful and meaningful day in ‘Groceries for Families’. Our hope is families feel loved, seen, cared for, and supported, as well as that Jubilee is a place of safety, a place of community, a place where they are welcomed, and a place where they belong. These are relationships, not transactions. Thank you for making that happen! It is working.

Have a great evening, wherever this email finds you.

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 11/4/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 11/4/20

Groceries for Families: Week 32 - Day 2

The steady rain from yesterday gave way to a mix of weather today, including much warmer temperatures. T-shirts are back! Rain showers rolled through all day, but we enjoyed plenty of dry, too. The morning was busy early with shoppers rolling in at 7:30am and keeping a steady pace all morning. Thank you! The line of families stayed at least 20 deep all afternoon until about 3:15pm. It was very, very busy today. Lots of food and pantry items went home with people today. Such a smooth day!

Groceries today were provided by St. Louise, 24-Seven, Bellevue Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel Eastside, Newport Covenant, Crossroads Bible and Bellevue Christian Reformed churches, as well as the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Bellevue and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 194 orders came in today and all went out to families, including 3 by delivery. Wow! Busy day. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

Perishables for today were stored at Crossroads Bible Church since Friday and were delivered to Jubilee this morning by volunteers and CBC staff. Thank you CBC for the great partnership! Additional produce was purchased this morning from Cash & Carry Bellevue and added to all the boxes. Along with the non-perishables from shoppers and the bag of pantry items, families went home with a good assortment.

The market was full of all sorts of good stuff. Fresh produce from the King County grant was plentiful: kale, squash, red beets, Brussel sprouts. Volunteers delivered from QFC Crossroads a truck full of different squash varieties. Wow, so fun! They also brought lots of other assorted items, too. Thank you to everyone who gave extras for the market today.

The AM volunteer crew came from 24-Seven Church today. They did everything this morning to prepare the operation for a successful afternoon. Thank you, crew!

A story from today:

There is a lady who comes on Wednesdays to get groceries, usually about 1:20pm or so. Once through the line, she stays in the market area and has essentially created a job for herself as a “market monitor” for the next 30-45 minutes. She keeps things straightened, empties items from boxes, rotates inventory, adds new items, cleans…pretty much anything to help the market operate well. She does this quietly and is quite serious about doing it well. We kid her that she’ll have to start wearing a yellow vest if she keeps helping. She would, too!

An email from a family today:

Por medio de este correo quiero darles las gracias a cada uno de los que hacen posible este bonito trabajo. Yo soy madre soltera de 4 hijos y un nieto y fui positiva del covid-19 y mis hijos también debido a eso perdí mi trabajo ya que soy inmigrante y eso algunas veces no nos da derecho a derechos laborales. Desde entonces ustedes proveen alimentos para mí y mi familia. Ahora ya tengo otro trabajito y de todos modos es difícil para mí y con su gran apoyo que me siguen dando la carga es más fácil. Gracias por su generosidad. Y por qué siempre nos han apoyado que Dios los bendiga a todos ustedes y a sus familias.

Through this email, I want to thank each one who makes this beautiful work possible. I’m a single mom with 4 kids and a grandson and I was positive with COVID-19 and my kids too. Because of that, I lost my job, I’m an immigrant, and that sometimes does not give us labor rights. Since then you have provided food for me and my family. Now I got another job and still, it’s difficult for me and with your great support, it is easier for me. Thanks for your generosity. And because you have always supported us, may God bless all of you and your families.

The details for the new USDA Farm to Families program are falling into place. One of the distributors awarded the federal contract is Cascadia Produce in Auburn. We have been in a relationship with them in other ways already, so this is an ideal situation for the grocery program. Right now, it appears they will be able to start the delivery of food boxes on Tuesday of next week and will continue through December 31. While the full contents are not yet known, for sure it will be some produce, milk, cheese, chicken, and, for the first time, fresh eggs. We are anxious to learn more details and will share them with you soon. Please continue to pray for this. Many of you have been asking, and it is great to have you so tuned to this transition with us. Thank you.

We hope the wind of this evening doesn’t harm the canopies in the grass. The newest two canopies, which went up last night, are not yet fully secured like the others. They should hold, but it is worrisome as the gusts come through.

Thanks for another great day. Thank you for loving these sweet families in our community. It is working and matters so much.

Have a nice evening,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 11/3/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 11/3/20

Groceries for Families: Week 32 - Day 1

Wet, Wet, Wet…this is more than a great English band from the 80’s. Heavy rain came down today, giving the gutter system under the carports a good test, which it passed. The shoppers took the brunt of it in the morning, braving the steady downpour to bring groceries and pantry items all morning. Thank you!!! The families had spurts of rain and a little dry, but dealt with soggy grass, too. Numbers seem to be down about 10%, which has to be due to the weather. Getting passed that, however, the day sailed smoothly along and was another great day.

Groceries were provided by Evangelical Chinese, Victory Court, Covenant Presbyterian, Awakening, Westminster Chapel, Bellevue Presbyterian, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Creekside Covenant, Cornerstone and Crossroads Bible churches. A total of 174 orders came in and all went out to families today. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

As you may have read before, we picked up 600 food boxes on Friday simply because they were available before the gap in USDA program came this week. Perishables are stored at three local churches.

Non-perishables from all three came to Jubilee on Saturday and Monday.

Today, all the perishables were delivered from Westminster Chapel by volunteers. While the food box area was packed, it did work well. Thank you Westminster for the storage and all the volunteers from Friday, Saturday, Monday, and today.

A King County grant allowed the purchase of fresh produce from King County farms yesterday and today. Yesterday was specifically for senior citizens in the community. Cascadia produce delivered in the morning yesterday red beets, golden beets, spinach, kale, and butternut squash. About 20 seniors came in the afternoon and we delivered produce today to about eight more. It was very popular! Another load of fresh produce was delivered this morning which is for families for the next three days. Items included cabbage, butternut squash, acorn squash, Brussel sprouts, peppers, and cilantro. Families loved the fresh produce today. Thank you King County, Cascadia Produce, and all farmers.

A crew from Westminster Chapel Church volunteered this morning from 9am-12pm. They brought in all the groceries, packed all the food boxes and did many tasks to get the program ready for the afternoon. Thank you crew!

Lunch was delivered today to 25 seniors in the community by Barb, Theresa, and Gina. Fresh produce went to 8 of them. Thank you all!

Crossroads Bible Church sent a team of volunteers to the Jubilee warehouse this morning. The warehouse is moving locations so needs lots of hands right now. Thank you crew!

Monday, a delivery was made by a neighborhood in Bellevue which did a fun food drive on Halloween night. Families hid non-perishable food in their yards for kids to find. Kids could then redeem them for candy at a specific neighborhood house. All the food was donated to the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Thank you, Parris family and the whole neighborhood.

Monday, a delivery of pantry items and non-perishables was delivered by Bellevue Pres. They did a drive last Friday with the young kids and families. All were donated to the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Thank you all who participated!

Three carports were donated last month, which were featured in this email. One reader noticed in a picture there were still families uncovered, so donated two more carports. They arrived today about 12:00pm. With the rain coming down, the PM crew quickly assembled both carports and added them to the grass area. This covered everyone for the first time!!! The grass now has a covered area 100’ x 10’. Thank you so much! What a joy today to see people dry.

An email from a senior receiving lunch and produce today:

“Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!! The terrific Tuesday Lunch arrived as expected at the usual time and it is always an adventure in :) Snackish Exploration. ha ha ha Additionally I always make a point of pausing for a moment of silent appreciation of prayerful "THANKS" as taught in Meeting at the Society of Friends. It feels good to appreciate/acknowledge that someone made this lunch, and sent it my way. And Thanks, the spinach looks great, will let me mix fresh smoothies.”

A story about a family today:

In line today a man came to Ken to express his thanks and say goodbye. He has been in the program since early summer and has now secured a job in Fremont, CA as a Nurse Technician. So, today is his last day. He was very emotional expressing his gratitude for the support received through this program. He is originally from India and fled persecution as a Muslim business owner four years ago, leaving his wife and four kids. They are safe, but he would have been killed. He received asylum in the US and expected his family to join him this year. With the pandemic, everything is shut down. While he does a daily video call, he hasn’t seen his family since 2016. He is a skilled worker and is excited to have this new job. We embraced and said goodbye. Please join us in prayer as we send him to this new chapter. Such a great story.

We begin this week 10 of version 2 of the ‘Groceries for Families’ program with 649 families being served, representing about 3,000 people. There were 27 new families added last week. A total of 30 families have been removed from the program in V2. A total of 51 families are on a ‘watch list’ for attendance.

Thanks for another great day. Darkness came early this afternoon, but the lights under the canopies provided a strong beacon of brightness to the dark. So do you!

Have a great evening,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 10/29/20 Jubilee REACH Communications 10/29/20

Groceries for Families: Week 31 - Day 3

Here we are at the end of the first week of the 8th month of the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Wow! What began as an 8 week program, grew to 12 weeks, stretched through the summer, and then committed into the fall and winter. Someone asked this morning when the program will end. We are no longer guessing or trying to see the end. When the pandemic slows and people get back to work and families can stabilize…then. But, for now, this program is essential. Thank you for being a part of in so many ways. Keep going.

Here we are at the end of the first week of the 8th month of the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Wow! What began as an 8 week program, grew to 12 weeks, stretched through the summer and then committed into the fall and winter. Someone asked this morning when the program will end. We are no longer guessing or trying to see the end. When the pandemic slows and people get back to work and families can stabilize…then. But, for now, this program is essential. Thank you for being a part of in so many ways. Keep going.

Thursday was a very smooth day in the operation, with the morning rain tapering off nicely. Lots and lots of shoppers came in, including many early in the morning. Families came all afternoon, with the line staying quite full for most of the two hours. It was such a nice way to end the week.

Groceries today were provided by Rotary Bellevue Sunrise and the Jubilee Friends group, as well as Lighthouse, Doxa, First United Methodist, Overlake Park Presbyterian, Sacred Heart Parish & School, Highland Covenant, Crossroads Bible and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 184 orders came in and all went out to families today. Thank you to all who donated.

The AM volunteer crew came from Bellevue Christian Reformed Church. The team of 8 managed the incoming deliveries of groceries and pantry items. They also packed all the food boxes. It was a great morning together. Thank you!

The Sysco truck arrived right at 9:30am, which was great. We’ve had the same driver for the past three weeks, Ed. He has been very flexible and gracious. He knows the system well now and helps a lot with his careful work to bring in the boxes just as we need them. Thank you!

The market was full today with a nice assortment of fresh and non-perishable foods. Volunteers brought donations from the QFC Crossroads. Thank you to all who donated extras.

The QFC shopping cart remains very popular. We had to add a rule which requires families to take their bags and boxes of food directly to their car. They cannot use the carts to shop in the market. It became too much like a normal grocery store and totally clogged up the sidewalk with the big carts. It’s a good and necessary rule. People will get used to it. For sure, everyone appreciates the carts.

An email from an AM volunteer crew yesterday:

“Thanks for your follow-up. I was overwhelmed by the scope, and “reach” of Jubilee REACH. Thousands and thousands of families/individuals were positively touched on just one day. I had no idea. I was impressed by a number of factors- the collaboration of church bodies on the Eastside, the number of families from each of those churches, the ability, of someone, to materially include non-church groups and obtain enormous assistance from Sysco/USDA. The leadership is virtually omnipresent, as well as omniscient. Also, to realize that there is that magnitude of need in Bellevue and environs. Wow, wow.“

A staff member update:

A picture of Kandan (to the right), a Jubilee REACH staff member and site coach at Chinook Middle School. Kandan will be leaving Jubilee next week, taking a new job which will allow him to move back to his home state of Oregon. He is getting married in the spring, and they want to live in Bend. Kandan has been a constant figure in the grocery program from the beginning and a leader in every way. He makes this program better. He also has built the complex spreadsheets which are used to manage and track all the families. While we will miss him here, the community of Chinook will miss him greatly. Please join us in wishing him well and praying for his future.

We find the pantry suddenly empty for cooking oil. If you are able to help fill the shelves before Tuesday, thank you. We go through about 10 Costco size large bottles each day.

With the USDA shipments not flowing next week and likely the week beyond, we have made some changes to how perishable foods will be acquired. Tomorrow, we will take two trucks to the UGM warehouse in Kent, picking up food boxes and milk for 600 families. We’ll store it at two local churches with large walk-in coolers. This will cover next week. Beyond that, we will wait to see what becomes available. Thank you for your concern and prayers. We’ll keep you posted.

We received a grant from King County this week, which allows us to purchase fresh produce from King County Farms. The goal of the program is to get fresh produce into the hands of isolated senior citizens in our community. There will be a delivery to Jubilee on Monday morning with an initial small load of produce. We will be inviting seniors to come to Jubilee from 12pm-2pm Monday to pick some up. It will be very informal and safely outside. We’ll see how it goes. For the lunches delivered to seniors on Tuesday, we will be delivering produce.

Thank you for another great day and a great week. There are so many good things happening through this program. Thank you for being an integral part of it. This is where we all should be.

Have a great evening and weekend,

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

Groceries for Families began in March 2020 to serve families financially affected by the pandemic. Over 25 organizations and churches have partnered with Jubilee REACH to provide families with groceries, hygiene items, and supplies.

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