GROCERIES FOR FAMILIES

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/16/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/16/21

Groceries for Families: Week 55 - Day 2

Wednesday has become the busy day of the week, and today was no exception. The weather continued to be simply lovely, with a cool morning which quickly warmed up to a delightful afternoon. Many people were in summer-like clothing. Lots and lots of people came to Jubilee this morning, dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! The families kept a steady line all afternoon, with quite a few people needing to come after hours. It felt calm to the crew, almost slow, but in the end, nearly all of the 240 food boxes were gone. Great day!

April 14, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Calvary Chapel Eastside, St. Louise, Indian Fellowship, Crossroads Bible, 24-Seven, Bellevue Christian Reformed and Bellevue Presbyterian churches, as well as the Rotary Club of Bellevue, the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 229 orders came in, and all went out to families today, along with a few carried over from yesterday. Thank you to everyone who donated today!

The AM volunteers came primarily from Bellevue Presbyterian Church today. This group worked hard to keep things moving all morning. They received and processed all the incoming deliveries, as well as packed 50 food boxes with fresh produce. Well done, crew!

Like yesterday, we wrapped the five pallets of food boxes with ice packs and insulating blankets immediately upon delivery. With the warmer temperature outside, we are very attentive to keeping the food cold. The first pallet wasn’t unwrapped until 11:30am. The crew didn’t unwrap the second pallet until 1:00pm, when we opened. This system is working. Then they unwrapped the 5th pallet at 3pm, and all the food was plenty cold still.

A 3rd grade class at Bellevue Christian School did a drive for the GFF program. The teacher dropped off a carload this afternoon. Along with all the items, she also brought many sweet notes and colored drawings from the children. They will be given to families tomorrow. Thank you, class!

Volunteers made two deliveries from a local distributor, one late yesterday and one today. Sandwiches and snacks came in yesterday, which is very popular with families. Crates of soda came in today, which is a popular treat for families. Thank you, Gil & Mike.

Renewal Food Bank brought a nice load of loaves of bread and bakery items this afternoon. They often share what they have as extra on Wednesday afternoons. Thank you, Susie!

A few updates and stories:

Lunch was brought today by two new ladies, Carmen and Angelica. Carmen is from Peru and brought champurrado, a thick hot chocolate drink with cinnamon, almond, and vanilla. Very tasty! Angelica is from Mexico and brought pork empanadas with hot sauce and coleslaw. It was lovely to have two new people express their thanks and love through cooking.

One of the bigger complaints we get is from people who save their place in line with a bag, only to have it moved back in the line by another person. Families are allowed to hold a place once cones are out, which is about 10am. We have chosen not to police this actively, as it is much too difficult. The issue comes when one person wants to insert a friend into the line. It isn’t very nice, but it happens a lot. Today, a woman came to complain that she had put her bag down on the 2nd cone, only to have a man move her bag to the 3rd cone. Evidently, he’s done it before, and she was mad. After listening to her and acknowledging her feelings, it was a great conversation about the bigger picture of this program. Families know very little about how complex the program really is. We talked about how people are people and how hard it is to oversee everything. We also talked about how little it matters to be 2nd or 3rd in line. We shared some of the struggles within the program and how we have learned to overlook some of them simply in the name of wanting to love people first instead of policing them. In the end, she was laughing and had a much, much wider understanding of what happens here. She was still irritated (& right to be so) but agreed it was best to let it go & not dwell on being wronged by someone else. It was a great conversation and one which would be nice to have with every family, honestly.

One thing not mentioned in this email often is the number of small children in tow with their mothers. There are plenty. Today and yesterday, there were an excessive amount of crying and even screaming children. For sure, it can’t be easy for children to be here. Last summer, we gave toys to children to help them see it as a positive place, but the operation is much larger now, so that isn’t done. Still, it is a reality we deal with daily.

Today, one mom asked if she could move to the front of the long line because she had a sleeping 18-month-old in the car, which wasn’t too far away. We wouldn’t allow the line jumping but offered to put a staff member in her car to watch her child. She happily agreed. She could see the yellow-vested staff person, and hand signals relayed everything was fine. After about 15 minutes, she made it to the front, and the child still slept. Then, the adjacent car set off the alarm, which woke the child. Bummer. The mom was quickly back to the car. It was great to see that this mother trusted us enough to babysitter her most precious thing at a higher level. It wasn’t much, but it speaks to the relationship built over many months.

Thanks for another great day in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Move families have come yesterday and today off the waiting list. It’s great to see the ‘new person’ stickers on their jacket. Thanks for all you are doing to support these sweet members of our community.

Blessings to you all on this warm, spring evening,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/16/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/16/21

Groceries for Families: Week 55 - Day 1

Week 55 begins with t-shirts and even some shorts breaking out as if summer was near. While it was chilly this morning, it quickly wore off for a delightful morning and actually warm afternoon. A steady breeze kept it from getting too warm, but it was one of those days, making it great to live in the PNW. The morning hours were full with a constant flow of happy people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! Families lined up to the court to open this afternoon. By 2:15pm, the line was gone, and we wondered if no one else would come. By 2:45pm, the pace returned, and the final 45 minutes were hectic. The sunshine certainly makes the whole operation feel so good. Great day!

April 13, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Crossroads Bible, St. Madeliene Sophie, Covenant Presbyterian, Westminster Chapel, Cornerstone Fellowship, East Shore Unitarian, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Bellevue Presbyterian, and Creekside Covenant churches, as well as Bellevue Kiwanis and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 181 orders came in today, and all went out to families. Thank you to all who donated.

Food boxes arrived about 10:45am, which was good for this warm day. The crew quickly put ice gel packs all over the pallets and in any crevasse before wrapping them in insulating blankets. We had the AM crew only pack one pallet with fresh produce to keep as many boxes insulated as long as possible. The PM crew started a second pallet at 12:45pm, which worked just fine. We’ve asked Medosweet to deliver boxes no earlier than 11am going forward to help us keep food cold longer.

The AM volunteers were not from one church today. Instead, they were a mix of individual volunteers who regularly work on other shifts. It was fun to have them all together. They processed all the incoming groceries and pantry items and packed the one pallet of food boxes. Well done, crew!

Barb and her crew delivered senior lunches today. A tasty homemade chili plus lots of extras were delivered to 32 individuals in the community. This program has been going for over 1 year now and has become a wonderful outreach to these people in the community. Thank you, Barb, Gina, and Theresa.

We want to thank the volunteers and stores which donate food at the beginning of each week: Safeway Thrasher’s Corner (Dale & Kathy), Whole Foods (Fred), Local Distributor (Mike & Gil), Trader Joe’s Overlake (Fred), QFC Crossroads (Mike, Gil, Kyle), Amazon Go (Rick). Thanks for all you do to bring food here each week to fill the market.

A donation from Seattle Gourmet arrived yesterday of about 100 boxes of high-end snowman sugar cookies. These were originally meant for retail gift bags but were extra inventory after the holiday season. So, we benefit! Today, two cookies were put into every food box. Thank you, Bret and Mike!

Volunteers portioned dog food this afternoon. We want to do a shout out to everyone who continues to support this unique part of the program: dog food, cat food, cat litter. Many families have pets, and these essentials are offered each week. Pets offer such love and comfort, it is great to help families in this way. Thank you!

A few stories and updates:

A man named Paul was here today with his three children. We see them each Tuesday, and they are always fun to chat with. They are originally from the Congo and lived in South Africa, where the kids were born. They moved to this area just a few years ago. Paul was a driver for Microsoft, and his wife works at a senior living home. Paul lost his job in March 2020 and learned this week he will be called back to work on April 19. He’ll start with 24 hours per week and is hopeful it will grow to full time in the coming weeks/months. He expressed such gratitude for the support of the GFF program. It has meant the difference between being in crisis or being stable. They have been able to maintain their family and home for the past year because of the help. Please pray for their sweet family.

We learned on Friday the USDA Farmers to Families program has been extended through May. This means food boxes will continue to be provided by the same distributors since January. This stability is fantastic. You can follow along here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box.

In early February, this space told the story of Roberto, who has been with us since the summer. He lost one leg to diabetes and was then in the hospital in Everett at risk of losing the 2nd leg. We learned today they did have to amputate it. We’ve not seen him in many months but keep tabs on him through some families who know him. Please pray for him. He will be struggling emotionally, as much as physically.

Here’s a look at current numbers. We begin this week with 696 families (3132 people) in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. This is down from a peak of around 750 five weeks ago. From the waiting list, 15 new families entered the program last week. More will likely come this week. We added 13 families to the new waiting list, including six families which left the program previously and now have returned. We are hopeful to see a trend downward in the numbers in the coming weeks, as some people return to work. We’re watching things closely.

Thanks for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. Many of you tell us stories of how your own lives are being impacted by participating. People donating feel like they are receiving so much in return. This is how we know it is mission work. So much of mission work is just showing up and doing life with other people. Giving of your time, just so other people know you care. Hopefully, you feel this, too. What you are doing matters, and it is working. Thank you.

Enjoy the warmth of the evening,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/9/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/9/21

Groceries for Families: Week 54 - Day 3

The sun came back! Yeah! After shivering yesterday, the warmth some-what returned today. The morning had a chill, but it wore off to a delightful afternoon with plenty of sun. We finish this week on a very strong note, with a much busier Thursday than normal. This makes up for the slower Tuesday this week and then some. The morning was busy with lots of happy people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! The afternoon had a long line to start and a steady line all afternoon, right up until 3:00pm. About 10 families even came after hours. A lot of food and pantry items went home with people today. Great day!

April 8, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Overlake Park Presbyterian, Sacred Heart School & Parish, Bellevue Presbyterian, Crossroads Bible, Lighthouse, Victory Court, Doxa, First United Methodist and Highland Covenant churches, as well as the Rotary Bellevue Sunrise Club, Champions Foundation and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 188 orders came in today and all went out to families, along with 52 orders carried over from yesterday. Wow! Thank you to everyone who donated today.

Food boxes arrived about 9:30am today, which is about our normal Thursday time. The boxes are delivered from downtown Kent by Medosweet Farms. They are in partnership with Cascadia Produce, which has the USDA contract for this area. As of right now, the boxes are confirmed through April 30. We’ll wait to see if it is extended. You can follow along at https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/farmers-to-families-food-box.

The AM volunteers were primarily from Overlake Park Presbyterian Church, with some others joining them. This group of new volunteers worked hard all morning receiving the incoming deliveries and packing 100 food boxes. They did it with joy and laughter. Thank you, crew!

Thank you for all the flowers: tulips, daffodils, and many others. Volunteers split the larger bouquets into smaller bouquets. About ¾ of the ladies received flowers today. Such fun!

A few stories and updates:

Lily returned to take more sandwiches down to the Seattle waterfront to hand them out to homeless people. Other than getting a parking ticket, it was a total success. Two boxes of sandwiches were handed out. Lily has a heart of gold and just wants to help. We prayed over her before she left, which filled her with courage.

Shahin will come to Jubilee tomorrow to volunteer with us. She asked the other day, saying how difficult it is for her to be in their home. She gets filled with so many emotions, that she just wants to leave. She had her car repaired recently by Auto Angels at Bellevue Presbyterian, which dropped some stress for her. She will also start counseling soon, which is being covered by a local church. Thank you for those of you coming around her and for all who are praying for her.

Arturo is a single guy who entered the GFF program over the winter. He shares his food with his mother and sister, who live nearby. They are originally from Peru and came to the US in 1999 on a green card – now are citizens. He’s a very nice man who lives in Bellevue and pre-pandemic worked at a dentist office in Bellevue. Work has been very slow to return, which is frustrating to him. He will likely be moving in with his mother soon, to share on rent. He is grateful for the food assistance for their entire family.

Thank you for another great week of ‘Groceries for Families’. Your time, energy & treasure is making such a difference in the lives of these families. Hopefully, your heart is connected to it, as well, and your life feels different because of it.

Have a great weekend,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/8/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/8/21

Groceries for Families: Week 54 - Day 2

Summer’s not here yet…heck, even spring was kept away for today. It was cold this morning, with a steady breeze which made it colder. The rain held off until the afternoon and didn’t cause much of an issue, even then. After getting used to warmer temps, jackets went back on today for nearly everybody. Wednesday is a very busy day for morning deliveries, and the parking lot was a constant flow of happy people coming to Jubilee bringing groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! Wednesday has become equally busy for families each week, with today having a long line to start and a constant shorter line all afternoon. The operation felt very smooth and calm, which is always nice.

April 7, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Indian Fellowship, Calvary Chapel Eastside, St. Louise Parish, Newport Covenant, Bellevue Christian Reformed, 24-Seven, Crossroads Bible, and Bellevue Presbyterian Churches, as well as the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Bellevue, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 249 orders came in today and all went out to families. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

Food boxes came around 10am, which is a great time. Volunteers quickly packed them with ice gel packs (see picture to the left) and wrapped them in insulating blankets. The AM volunteers were primarily from Bellevue Presbyterian Church today. All of them were veterans of volunteering in the GFF, so moved through the task list with efficiency. They received all the incoming deliveries and packed 100 food boxes. Thank you, crew!

Volunteers made two deliveries from a local distributor, one late yesterday and one today. There were 12 crates of sandwiches, salads, and other wrapped meals, which are very popular with families. Half went out in the market today and the other half will go tomorrow. The other load were cases of beverages, also from vending machines. These are also a popular treat, when available. Thank you, Mike and Gil!

The market also had bottles of Yakult yogurt drinks, courtesy of Westminster Chapel. They brought a large delivery on Monday, which we held for today and tomorrow. These are super popular. Thank you, Westminster!

A few updates and stories:

Maria brought the crew lunch today, a very tasty chicken meatball and vegetable soup. All of the ingredients were things she received from the GFF program. She continues to express her gratitude through her cooking. Lucky crew!

Georgina and Alexa have been in the email before. Today they showed up with a gift of homemade chocolate-covered strawberries. Alexa was beaming with pride as she presented them. Written across the top of a few berries are the words, “thank you”. So special.

Sam is a man who has been coming since at least the summer. He is one of the crew favorites, simply because he is talkative and loads of fun. He lives with and cares for his parents, 94 & 88. They come with him sometimes, dressed up in a suit & dress every time, as if they are going out for a special evening. His dad looks so distinguished in his suit and hat. They are originally from Turkey but spent much of their life in Germany, where Sam grew up. They now live across the street from Jubilee. Today, Sam asked some detailed questions about the program and Jubilee. He was very surprised to hear how the program runs, where the food comes from, and what Jubilee normally does. He expressed his sincere gratitude for all the help provided to his family. Those thanks go to you, too.

A picture of a thank you card is below which was found today. It must have been handed to a crew member last week and set aside. Signed Jessica, it is likely a woman who comes on Wednesdays and lives nearby. She is always near the front of the line and very friendly. Enjoy reading it.

It was another good day in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Another 9 families came into the full program today off of the waiting list. This is great to see. One woman, with a sticker on her jacket, stayed late waiting for her husband to come to pick her up. Hopefully, she had a good experience today.

Thank you so much for your sustained devotion to these families. Hopefully, you are filled with joy by participating. Everything you’re doing, big and small, matters.

Blessings to you all,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/8/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/8/21

Groceries for Families: Week 54 - Day 1

Week 54 begins with the warmest day of the spring, so far. We all enjoyed a temperature that must have reached 60 degrees. Being on the north side of the building steals some warmth, but it was still lovely to be outside today. It looks like rain is coming, so we’ll say goodbye to it for now. The operation today was smooth running. The morning was bustling with lots of happy people coming to drop off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! Families lined up early and kept a slow pace up all afternoon. It felt much slower than normal, but in the end, the same amount of food went out, as normal. Strange. The sunshine seems to make everything easier.

April 6, 2021

Groceries today came from Creekside Covenant, Westminster Chapel, Crossroads Bible, Bellevue Christian Reformed, East Shore Unitarian, Cornerstone Fellowship, St. Madeleine Sophie, Bellevue Presbyterian, and Covenant Presbyterian, along with Bellevue Kiwanis and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 191 orders came in today and all went out to families. Thank you to everyone who donated.

As with each Tuesday report, we want to acknowledge the donations and volunteers who bring them from local grocery stores and distributors: Safeway Thrasher’s Corner (thank you Dale & Kathy), QFC Crossroads (thank you, Mike, Gil, Libby, and Kyle), Trader Joe’s Overlake (thank you Fred), Amazon Go Overlake (Thank you Rick), Local Distributor (thank you Mike and Gil), Whole Foods Bellevue (thank you, Fred). This food is the inventory for nearly 100% of the market every day. It adds a ton of variety. Thank you to you all.

Food boxes arrived about 10:15am today, which is just fine. The AM volunteers were from Sacred Heart School today, which included many kids on spring break. This group of all new volunteers had to learn fast and work faster. They did a great job of receiving everything and packing 100 food boxes. Thank you, crew!

Senior lunches were delivered today by Barb and her crew to 32 people in the community. This program has been running for one year now and is a wonderful connection to some dear people who are isolated in the community. Thank you, Barb, Gina, and Ashley!

Somerset Elementary School did a pantry drive for the program this weekend. A volunteer (thank you, Brad!) brought a large load over to Jubilee this afternoon. A picture is coming still. Thank you, Somerset!

A few quick stories and updates:

Tanya is a lady who has been in our program since the summer. She lives about a mile away and always comes early to get a place in line and then goes on a long walk to wait for 1pm. Today we learned more of her story. She lives with her elderly Grandma in an adult home on Richards Road. Tanya picks up food for the two of them and four others who live there. That is her family of 6. The food and other items she brings for them help sustain them and provide things they simply would not have otherwise. We gave her a large bouquet of flowers today to share with everyone.

David dropped in today on his lunch, after starting his new job yesterday as a contractor at Microsoft. He is happy and very excited to be back to work.

Eric is a guy who comes each Tuesday to support his ex-wife and 8 children. He’s come each week since last spring, usually at the beginning. Today he was very late, coming at 4pm. He’s earned his real estate license and just started work for a local agency, so was showing a listing today. Very exciting to hear this! Hopefully, he can get some traction in this new position. Please pray for him.

Lois and Sarah were the two PM crew members filling food boxes today. They had the idea to write kind messages on each box. See the picture to the right. By the end, the messages were longer and included fun drawings. Two sharpie pens were worn down in their efforts. What a fun way to add some joy to each box. Thank you!

We begin this week with 690 families registered for ‘Groceries for Families’. We made the decision to invite the 40 families on the waiting list into the full program. About 8 came today and were welcomed by the crew. There seems to be a slight trend downward in the numbers, with families exiting the program. It is small but still noticeable. We’ll continue to watch this carefully.

Thanks for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. Please continue to pray for the families. We do tell them people are praying for them. The Easter bags last week were a message of hope to them. They know there are people in the community coming around them to help during this tough him. We regularly get comments of gratitude. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of these sweet members of our community. Thank you for all you are doing.

Enjoy the evening, wherever this email finds you,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/5/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/5/21

Groceries for Families: Week 53 - Day 3

After such a week of sun & dry, it’s hard to remember how tough things can get with rain & wind. We’ll take it. Spring seems to be here, at least this week, and it certainly makes for a happy Easter week. The chill of the morning quickly faded today and gave way to a very pleasant day. The shade of the building keeps some of the warmth away, but the sun brightens everything. The morning was very busy with incoming groceries, pantry items, and Easter bags. Thank you, everyone! The afternoon was a typical Thursday, with a steady line of families most of the time. It was a very smooth operation, with lots of happy people here. Great day!

April 1, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Sacred Heart Parish & School, Bellevue Presbyterian, Overlake Park Presbyterian, Doxa, Highland Covenant, Lighthouse, Crossroads Bible and Victory Court churches, as well as Rotary Bellevue Sunrise, Champions Foundation and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 195 orders came in today and all went out to families, along with 26 carried over from yesterday. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

Food boxes were delivered today at 9:30am, which was much better than yesterday’s noon. The AM volunteers from Sacred Heart Parish worked hard all morning bringing in the groceries and Easter bags, as well as packing 100 food boxes. Well done and thank you, crew!

Each morning families that are here (Tue, Wed, Thu). we purchase fresh produce (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, bananas, carrots, and garlic) and eggs. While the USDA food boxes are good, they lack fresh produce and eggs, which we long ago decided are important to provide. Money donated toward the ‘Groceries for Families’ program is used here. The gallon of milk is removed from the box, and all these items are added to space opened. Thank you to everyone who donates to make this possible.

Easter bags came in for a third and final day. The common feedback is people had a lot of fun putting them together. They were all so cute and special. Thank you for your time, treasure, and energy to make this possible. A majority donated this week went to the families at Jubilee. We also provided some to our partner church in West Seattle which is supporting 400+ families. Tomorrow, the last few boxes will go to Emerald City Bible Fellowship in Rainier Valley. This is Pastor Harvey Drake’s church, where someone has shot a few weeks ago. Children in all of these communities will have a very happy Easter. Thank you so much!

At the end of today, our two partners came to pick up the remaining food boxes to distribute elsewhere. St. Monica Parish on Mercer Island came, as did El Dios Viviente Church in White Center, Seattle. We are blessed to have a strong relationship with them. Please pray for their ministries.

A few updates and stories:

Angelina brought beef burritos and El Salvadoran pasta salad for the crew today. She brought mild hot sauce for the first time, too. Some of us missed the mind-blowing spice of her other batches. She continues to love us through her cooking.

A family dropped off three thank you cards from their children. Pictures of the front and insides are below. So cute.

The Easter bags were very, very popular today. Lots of parents had happy faces because of them. She is someone we all know. She has a friendly and loud personality, so we hear her coming before we see her. She was overjoyed today to have gifts for her 8 and 10-year-old children. Thank you!

We end this week on a very positive note, with a steady operation and a wonderful feeling of Easter. Thank you for all your continued support and love poured into these sweet families. We’re all taking it one day at a time. While we hope there is a time coming when many can support themselves again, until then, this community has wrapped around them in care and prayer. Please continue to pray for them all.

Have a great 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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