GROCERIES FOR FAMILIES

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/30/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/30/21

Groceries for Families: Week 57 - Day 2

After being some families short yesterday, we anticipated having a busy day today, and it came. The weather made for a great day, with cool temps in the morning but warming quickly to a nice level. The afternoon was overcast but plenty warm for working. It’s like we forgot what rain, wind, and cold are like here. Wednesdays are always busy with deliveries. Lots of people came this morning with groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone. Families kept a very steady pace up all afternoon, with many people picking up for multiple families. Lots of food went home with people today. Great day!

April 28, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Bellevue and the Jubilee Friends group, as well as Indian Fellowship, Bellevue Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel Eastside, 24-Seven, Crossroads Bible, Bellevue Christian Reformed, St. Louise and Newport Covenant churches. A total of 268 orders came in and all but 22 went out to families today. Thank you to everyone who donated!

Food boxes arrived at 10:45am today. The MedoSweet drivers have learned our operation is different than anywhere else they deliver. All have commented about it, and they take care to help us as much as possible. John is our Wednesday driver, and he works hard to give us the coldest boxes possible. When he gets in the refrigerated truck down in Kent, he lowers the temperature to 22 degrees. He then takes his time driving to Bellevue, making a few stops for the bathroom and snacks. He makes sure to give us as much time as possible. Today, he arrived early, as he had been stalling a while. He waited in our parking lot for another 15 minutes before dropping the five pallets. He commented how he appreciates the effort we put into keeping food cold. We’ve come to appreciate these guys as part of our extended team.

The AM volunteers were from Bellevue Presbyterian Church today. This was a mixed crew of veteran and new volunteers, which is always great. They managed a hectic morning of incoming deliveries and packing food boxes. 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.

Last weekend, Jubilee hosted a Dental Clinic put on by the University of Washington School of Dentistry and Medical Teams International. They brought two large dental RV’s where detailed care could be done by two dentists. Under the canopies was transformed into a very busy clinic with a triage area and treatment area, along with the library being for radiology. Inside, COVID vaccines were administered. The Jubilee REACH’s Community Care team had set up appointments for Saturday and Sunday, including many people in the ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Other than cleanings, which weren’t offered, nearly every other dental care procedure was available. We saw many, many familiar faces here. On Monday, one woman came up to thank us for the care she received. Such a great weekend!

A few stories and updates:

A woman came for groceries today, picking up her family and her two sister’s families. She was delighted to receive flowers, both yellow and orange, which happen to be the favorite colors of her and her husband. They are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary this week, so this was perfect timing for flowers. She said they have four kids and are very happy. We asked how they stay so happy and said that they can’t do it without God. Nice. Please pray for them.

We met a Muslim woman from Ethiopia today. She has a special needs child, so moved to Bellevue in December for the schools. Her son is now at Ardmore Elementary. The grocery program is a huge help for their family. They are celebrating Ramadan now, which is a time she likes to bake sweets. She asked if she could bring us some sweets next week to say thank you. Absolutely! Please pray for their family.

Jose has been in the program since last spring and has been highlighted a few times in this email. He comes around 9:00am each Wednesday for groceries because his work has started again at 10:00am. He works at LaCasita Restaurant in Sammamish. We were talking today when we mentioned there were extra food boxes from yesterday. He said the kitchen crew at his restaurant could certainly use some help. So, he ran his own groceries quickly home nearby, while we packed up 5 food boxes. When he came back, we took the attached picture with the volunteer who packed his boxes. He then took the boxes to work, where they could store them in a cooler during the day. Hopefully, some families are eating well tonight because of Jose’s efforts. He’s a nice man. Please pray for his family.

Thanks for another great day in ‘Groceries for Families’. We are all loving our neighbor, which feels exactly where we should be. Thank you for your continued support and prayers for these families.

Blessings to you all,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/30/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/30/21

Groceries for Families: Week 57 - Day 1

With the start of week 57 of ‘Groceries for Families’ we welcome the last week of April. Both are hard to believe. Time just rolls along. The weather this morning was back to chilly, with cold hands to prove it. It finally gave way to enough warmth by the late morning, continuing to a warm but cloudy afternoon. The sun even came through a few times. The morning was busy in the parking lot with lots of happy people delivering groceries, pantry & hygiene items. Thank you, everyone. Families lined up early and kept a steady pace all afternoon. It was a slower day than a normal Tuesday, but about 25 families. We’re not sure why. We’ll see if they come in the next couple of days. Overall, the operation was running smoothly.

April 27, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Bellevue Kiwanis & the Jubilee Friends group, as well as Saint Madeleine Sophie, Westminster Chapel, Crossroads Bible, Bellevue Presbyterian, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Creekside Covenant, East Shore Unitarian, Covenant Presbyterian, and Cornerstone Fellowship churches. A total of 186 orders came in today, and all went out to families. Thank you to everyone who donated.

We want to acknowledge the store donations and volunteers who bring them each week. Safeway Thrashers Corner is delivered by Dale & Kathy. Local Distributor is delivered by Mike and Gil. Whole Foods Bellevue is delivered by Fred. Amazon Go Overlake & Kirkland is delivered by Rick. QFC Crossroads is delivered by Gil, Mike, and Kyle. Trader Joe’s Overlake is delivered by Fred. Renewal Food Bank also delivers food from Safeway Overlake. Thank you, everyone!

The AM volunteers were from Bellevue Christian Reformed Church today. They worked hard all morning receiving the deliveries and packing the food boxes. They also took on many other tasks like making flower bouquets & setting up cones. Thank you, and well done, crew!

Senior lunches went out today to 32 people in the community. A tasty lunch of tuna sandwiches and lots of extra goodies were delivered by Barb, Liz, and Theresa, as well as two trainees, Sheri & Linda. Thank you, ladies!

We received a large frozen delivery from Amazon in Kirkland on Sunday morning, which required us to take all the ice gel packs out of the freezer. We put 12 crates of them on two carts outside under the canopies and wrapped them in many insulating blankets. Two days later, we used them today when food boxes arrived at 11:00am. The large ones were still plenty frozen. Whew! They are all back in the freezer now.

A few stories and updates:

Shahin came this morning with a lovely thank you gift to the staff and volunteers. It was a wide selection of Persian cookies and pastries from a local Persian store. She simply wants to say thank you for the support she receives here. Please continue to pray for her. She is still grieving the loss of her husband, and she has found a home at Jubilee. She is seeing a counselor, which should provide some help. A volunteer also continues to walk closely with her. If you’d like to bring a card for her, please so. It would be nice to let her know people care.

Each day at 12:50pm, we do a staff orientation for the afternoon shift and end with a prayer. With the doors wide open, some of the families can see us. Once done, the crew heads out to open the operation. Today, a mother and daughter stopped to comment. The nine-year-old wanted to say she was happy to see us praying. We told her we do this every day and always pray for the families who come to Jubilee. She said thank you. We invited her and her mom to join us next Tuesday in the prayer. Hopefully, they will come.

An email from a family today: “Hi, here’s the Tajer Family, and we would like to show our Thanksgiving for your Services and Kindness towards our Family, with this Email. Your Generous Help with Groceries is a great help in our Family Life in this day’s thanks a lot and hoping you all the best.”

Today we chatted with a family from Turkmenistan who doesn’t speak English but has been in the program a long time. A friend translated for them so that we could welcome them. The four-year-old boy asked if we had a toy for him and his two-year-old sister. We had a few things, a stuffed gorilla and a stuffed reptile. We handed it to them using the Turkmen word for ‘toy,’ which added to their smile. Nice.

Maria brought tamales

We begin this week with 687 families in ‘Groceries for Families’ (3091 people), which is up 1 from last week. There are another 22 on the waiting list. This is the first week we’ve not seen a decline in some time. We’ll continue to watch it. Some of you ask about the people on the waiting list. They have a different color of identification card and are invited to come once per week. They can come at the end of the day (3:00-3:30pm) and receive a good assortment of food. They don’t receive the pantry items.

We are continuing to discuss and discern the future of ‘Groceries for Families’ past the current date of June 30. Many indicators are being watched, including the possibility of King County going back to Phase 2. This would be a blow to the restaurant industry. We would like to invite you to pray about it and join us in discernment. If you have ideas or thoughts, please do share them with us. We are in this together and welcome your input. As decisions are made, we will be communicating details to everyone.

Thank you for the support and commitment to these families through this program. Please continue to pray for them. We want to always be in a relationship with them, affirming they are valued members of this community and there are people who care about them.

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 4/23/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/23/21

Groceries for Families: Week 56 - Day 3

This week ended on a very good note, with the operation running smoothly all-around and many good things happening around Jubilee. The weather did turn cooler this morning, with cloud cover and a chill in the air. We thought it would stay that way all day, but about 11:30am, the sun poked out and made the afternoon quite lovely. What a week of weather! People braved the chilly morning to drop off lots of groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! Families lined up at 1:00pm, but it went away by 1:30pm, which was odd. It came back and stayed steady for the rest of the afternoon. Lots of families came today to pick up for other families. In the end, it was a very normal Thursday.

April 22, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Lighthouse, Victory Court, Doxa, First United Methodist, Highland Covenant, Bellevue Presbyterian, Overlake Park Presbyterian, Sacred Heart Parish & School, and Crossroads Bible churches, as well as Champions Foundation and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 209 orders came in today, and all went out to families, along with 31 carried over from yesterday. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

The AM volunteers were from Sacred Heart Parish today, with most being veterans of the shift. They did a great job keeping up with a busy morning of deliveries and many other tasks. The food boxes arrived about 10:30am. They iced and wrapped all five pallets quickly. The last 45 minutes of their shift were busy packing about 110 boxes with fresh produce. It was a machine in action. Well done, crew!

We have one small freezer, which has been deemed the ‘fish freezer.’ For families who don’t eat other meats, we like to offer them fish as an alternative, which is about 20 families each week. One donor has made it her mission to keep the freezer stocked. Thank you, Pam! Returning today for another trout season was Linda, who kept the freezer full last summer from her lake fishing adventures. We received her first 5 trout today and look forward to more in the coming weeks. Thank you, Linda!

An extra delivery from Amazon Go in Overlake came this morning with lots of bagged salads. Thank you, Rick! Another delivery from a local distributor brought sandwiches, snacks, and soda. Thank you, Mike & Gil!

All extra food boxes from the week were given to St. Monica Parish & El Dios Viviente Methodist Church late this afternoon. These two partners help get this food out to the community quickly, so it doesn’t just stay in the Jubilee freezers. We are blessed to be in continued partnership with them both.

A few updates and stories:

An email from a family: “Hello. I want to thank Jubilee REACH. When the pandemic started, everything was fear, insecurity because I had no job for 3 months. My daughter goes to Big Picture, and her Site Coach is Jakeh. He was able to put us on the Jubilee list so we could get food. I could go back to work, but it was unstable, and when they closed again, I no longer had a job. Because of Jubilee, my family we have food. I could not work for 5 months, and it wasn't easy to decide to pay the bills or food. And with their help, I can put food on the table for my children every day. Although I already have work again, it is less than full time. And still unstable, and there is still a risk of backing up or closing again. Even so, Jubilee is always there for my family and me. And they were also able to help pay $ 300 for my Rent. Thanks to all the people who donate money and who buy food and make this possible. Thanks to all the volunteers who do everything possible so that each family does not lack anything. May God give you more and multiply them. L-“

Liliana returned today to take sandwiches to downtown Seattle and this time was joined by a volunteer, Sara. The two took 2 boxes of sandwiches to Pioneer Square and sent back several pictures. Thank you, ladies, for passing on both food and love to the homeless there.

Elbert’s family has been in the program since spring 2020. His kids were in the Jubilee ‘before and after school program,’ so we knew them well. When the pandemic hit, both he and his wife soon lost their jobs. He was a contractor at T-Mobile and had been in telecommunications for most of his career. His wife worked part-time for a Spanish radio station. He said today; he is finally back to work for another company outside telecommunications. His wife is interviewing but hasn’t found work yet. Any offer she gets has to be weighed against childcare costs, as their kids are only in school part-time in person. Plus, summer is coming when the kids will be home full-time. Financially, they are not quite whole yet, but it is getting better. It is expensive to live in Bellevue, and living paycheck to paycheck is very stressful. For now, they are still stretching their dollars, with the help of ‘Groceries for Families.’ He is very grateful for all the support.

Thank you for another great week of ‘Groceries for Families.’ May your own life be blessed and changed by your involvement.

Have a great weekend,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/23/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/23/21

Groceries for Families: Week 56 - Day 2

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.

April 21, 2021

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 4/23/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 4/23/21

Groceries for Families: Week 56 - Day 1

Here we are at the beginning of week 56 of ‘Groceries for Families’ and enjoying summer-like weather, which has no one complaining. The rain will return, so we’ll all enjoy the warmth while it lasts. Operationally, things are humming along, with today being a very typical Tuesday. The morning was busy with happy people streaming into the parking lot to drop off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone. Families formed a line at the beginning, which stayed steady until about 2pm. There was a brief lull before picking up again. Many families today came with multiple ID cards, as they were picking up for other families. There were many double, triple, and quad orders today filling QFC carts. Overall, it was a smooth day, with lots of food going home with people.

April 20, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Cornerstone Fellowship, Bellevue Presbyterian, Covenant Presbyterian, Creekside Covenant, Crossroads Bible, Saint Madeleine Sophie, Westminster Chapel, Bellevue Christian Reformed, and East Shore Unitarian churches, as well as Bellevue Kiwanis, Rotary Bellevue Sunrise, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 182 orders came in, and all went out to families today, along with 26 carried over from last week. Thank you to everyone who donated today!

The AM volunteers were from Highland Covenant Church today, including their senior pastor. This team has returning veterans of volunteering and first-time volunteers. It was a fun group, which did a great job receiving all the incoming deliveries and packing food boxes. Thank you, crew!

The food box delivery was coming later not and arrived at 11:15am today. The AM crew quickly wrapped four pallets in gel ice packs and insulating blankets. This effort worked, as things were nice and cold in the last pallet opened around 3pm today. The crew then quickly opened all 48 boxes on the 5th pallet and added fresh produce & eggs.

Lots of deliveries came from local grocery stores and distributors starting Saturday and continuing through today. We want to thank them and the many volunteers who bring the food to Jubilee. Rick brings food from Amazon Go Overlake. Dale & Kathy bring food from Safeway Thrasher’s Corner. Mike, Gil, and Kyle bring food from QFC Crossroads. Fred brings food from Whole Foods Bellevue and Trader Joe’s Overlake. Gil and Mike bring food & beverages from a local distributor. Most of this fills the market area daily. Thank you for your time and effort to make this happen each week.

Senior lunches were delivered to 32 people in the community today by Barb and her crew. A tasty homemade meal was prepared, with plenty of extras added in. There are three delivery routes, taken by Barb, Gina, and Theresa. Thank you, ladies!

We learned late last week the USDA Farmers to Families program, which supplies the food boxes daily, will end on May 31 nationwide. This is not a surprise but will impact the GFF operation a bit. Stay tuned for details.

A few stories and updates:

Shahin returned last Friday to volunteer a second time. She seems to have a good time and certainly enjoys having something to do, which distracts her from grieving the loss of her husband. Please continue to pray for her and her daughter.

Maria brought a large pot of Pozole today, which the crew enjoyed before going home after the shift. She will be having knee surgery soon. Please pray for her.

Eun brought a pan full of Korean potato pancakes late today, which will be lunch tomorrow for the crew. She lives nearby and walked them over in a cart, along with a bag full of bottled water.

Someone donated a large stuffed bear a few weeks ago (probably one of you!). Today, we gave it to Maraya, who has five children, including Vanessa, who has made many drawings for us, now displayed in the lobby. Hopefully, some happy children are snuggling the bear tonight.

Here’s an email from a family: “Due to COVID, I, who is a senior citizen, have been unemployed since 3/20/20 and do not know when I will be called back to work. Since January 2021, I have been a recipient of your food bank services. I wanted to extend my profound gratitude to Jubilee Reach and its partners for providing groceries and flowers, when in season, to me each week. It is so helpful to receive a gallon of milk each week, and I look forward to the candy treat for those of us who like sweets. The vegetable selection makes for a complete and very nice salad, and the fruit is always a bonus. With the meat selection, one walks away with fixings for a well-rounded, complete meal. I am sorry to hear that this project is scheduled to end on 6/30/21. In the meantime, I continue to be very grateful for this community outreach that you are providing. Thank you so much.”

We begin this week with 686 families in ‘Groceries for Families’ (3087 people). There are another 25 on the waiting list, which includes about 8 new ones from last week and others who have been invited into the program two weeks ago but have not yet returned. It is common for some waiting list families not to return. These numbers are trending downward slowly but consistently. About 6 weeks ago, we peaked at 750 families. Of the 20 families who left the program in the last week, about 10 informed us they no longer needed support, while the other 10 we removed for attendance reasons. This, too, has been consistent.

Many of you are asking about the future of ‘Groceries for Families.’ The current commitment is through June 30. We are in discussion and discernment as we watch the trends, numbers and listen to people. We would like to invite you to pray about it and join us in discernment. If you have ideas or thoughts, please do share them with us. We are in this together and welcome your input. As decisions are made, we will be communicating details to everyone.

In the meantime, thank you for the continued support of and commitment to these families through this program. Please pray for them. We want to continue to be in a relationship with them, always affirming they are valued members of this community and there are people who care about them.

Blessings to you all,

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 3

This week ended on a very positive note, not only with the operation but also with the lovely weather. The air felt warm, even this morning, with the chill fading quickly. By the afternoon, it was hot, even under the canopies. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it. The operation ran smoothly today. The morning was busy with people dropping off groceries, pantry & hygiene items. Thank you, everyone! The afternoon was a typical Thursday – busy, slow, busy, slow – in the end, very normal with lots of food going home with families. Nice day.

April 15, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Newport Covenant, Doxa, Lighthouse, Victory Court, Bellevue Presbyterian, Sacred Heart Parish & School, Highland Covenant, Crossroads Bible, Overlake Park Presbyterian, and First United Methodist Bellevue churches, as well as Rotary Bellevue Sunrise and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 193 orders came in and all went out to families today. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Today was the first day with the new delivery window of 10:30am-12:00pm with Medosweet for food boxes. The truck arrived at 11:30am, which was just fine. As the driver dropped the first pallet into place, the AM volunteers quickly started opening the boxes to fill them with fresh produce. The remaining volunteers quickly insulated the four other pallets with ice and blankets. By noon, everything was ready. That works!

The AM volunteers were primarily from Sacred Heart Parish, and all are now seasoned veterans for this shift. They were efficient and quick with their work today. Thank you, crew!

Chef’s Store (formerly Cash & Carry) is where we buy fresh produce each morning. We place the order on Fridays, so a pallet of food awaits us each morning at 7am. Yesterday, the delivery truck arrived at 7am, so we had to go back at 10am to get our food. Today, the truck never came. We had to take whatever we could find. No cucumbers were available, so we substituted zucchini. Fortunately, Amazon Go at Overlake had sent 14 cases of bananas yesterday, so we’re covered there. We had just enough today. The store manager said the issue is not having enough staff at the distribution center in Centralia.

A picture of the USDA food box is on the left. It comes with dairy (milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese), meat (chicken meatballs, chicken hotdogs, ground cooked chicken), and produce (lettuce, potatoes, apples, onions). We remove the milk to make space for purchased produce (tomatoes, bananas, garlic, cucumber, green pepper, carrots). It is very colorful once packed. Thank you to everyone who donates cash toward the GFF program; this is where some of your donations go.

El Dios Viviente Methodist Church in West Seattle and St. Monica Parish on Mercer Island came late this afternoon to take the remaining food boxes. They will be distributed to families tonight. We’re blessed to be connected to these two wonderful partners.

A few stories and updates:

Angelina brought the crew lunch today: rice, beans, beef fajita, and guacamole. Very, very tasty! Her son, Brian, delivered it this morning.

We learned more about Roberto today. He had his second leg amputated recently due to diabetes. He is home now near Crossroads. He has two roommates but no family nearby. His friend, Carmen, came to get food for him today. We don’t know many details, but he will be adjusting to a new life. Perhaps we’ll see him back here one day. Please pray for him.

Meadowsweet has been delivering food boxes each day since January. Each day has the same driver each week, so we’ve started to build relationships with these three men. They’ve learned a bit about our program and ask questions sometimes. In the map of what makes GFF happen, these three people have a place on it. They are part of this family. They matter. Today, the driver shared with us that he deals with a chronic kidney ailment that flares up with sharp pain. Today was a bad day. We had the opportunity to listen to him, which hopefully made him feel like someone cares. Please pray for him.

We witnessed two sweet instances of families helping today. At 12pm, two ladies were waiting on the picnic tables. One noticed a donor at her car struggling with groceries. So, she quickly went over and helped her carry the groceries into the building. Very nice. At 1:30pm, there was a short line. One lady noticed a pack of diapers had fallen out of a cart unnoticed. She left the line and carried the diapers to the other woman in the parking lot. Both were small bits of kindness and a joy to witness.

Shahin will return tomorrow morning to volunteer a second time. Very fun.

Thank you for another great week of ‘Groceries for Families.’ We hope your own life is being impacted by participating. It is incredible to watch the community come together to support other vulnerable members of our community.

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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