GROCERIES FOR FAMILIES

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/24/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/24/21

Groceries for Families: Week 59 - Day 2

Mid-way through the week and things are humming right along. The morning today was cloudy and cool, with even some light sprinkles of rain at times. About noon, the sun came through for good and gave us a lovely warm afternoon. Even a slight breeze kept the warm air moving. Nice. Wednesdays are always busy in the morning with lots and lots of people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you, everyone. The afternoon was equally busy with families. The line was modest to open, but it kept up all afternoon. Many people came right at the end and even later. For sure, their lives are busy with all sorts of things.

May 12, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Newport Covenant, Indian Fellowship, 24-Seven, Bellevue Christian Reformed, St. Louise, Bellevue Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel Eastside, and Crossroads Bible churches, as well as the Rotary Club of Bellevue, Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 240 orders came in today and all went out to families. Thank you to all who donated!

The AM crew was primarily from Bellevue Presbyterian Church today. It was a good mix of new volunteers and veterans to the shift. Food boxes arrived at about 11:15am, so they were able to pack one pallet with fresh produce. They did a great job received all the deliveries and organizing things for the afternoon shift. Thank you, and well done, crew!

The food boxes were delivered by the Medosweet Transportation Director, who is our main contact but typically by email. It was great to see him here in person. He was surprised and so pleased to get a quick tour of the full operation, including how their boxes fit in. He said people are in their Kent warehouse by 4am to pack boxes, and they don’t stop the assembly line until 8pm. It is a major operation, and they are quite a small company. They will go back to dairy only on June 1, which makes him a little sad. They’ve been a great partner for us and many others in this area.

A few updates and stories:

Samira is the woman profiled last week who brought us Ethiopian sweet bread as a thank you. She and her friend were here today for the last time, so made a point to say goodbye and thank you. They are getting enough support from other places and are seeing things improve for their families, that they don’t need to come to Jubilee any longer. They both expressed such thanks for the help their families have received. We all wished them well. It is great to have such book-ends for some people.

A homeless man showed up in the middle of the operation this afternoon, poking around and asking what was going on. This has happened before and usually ends with us giving some food or the person leaving upset that they can’t get what they want. This man wasn’t interested in being patient for us to help and found any questions directed at him to be irritating. Fortunately, this exchange didn’t end in a scene, but he ended up storming off. It’s a tough situation when this happens with so many other people around. While we want to help, our first responsibility is the safety of everyone here.

An elder Asian woman came late today, not part of the program. She didn’t speak English or Spanish, and we had no one who spoke Cantonese. Trenton noticed a woman leaving with groceries who was Asian, so asked if she happened to speak Cantonese, which she did. She kindly came back and translated as we registered her for the waiting list. It made a nearly impossible situation very pleasant, and the woman went home with food for her family. Love that!

Angelina brought the crew a lunch of chicken enchiladas today. This lady can flat out cook good food! Lucky us.

Maria brought the crew a chicken soup for tomorrow’s lunch. She is still recovering from knee surgery and had just come from PT, so was in some pain. She has two more weeks before the pain should subside. We prayed for her through the car window.

Jessica has been in this email before. She comes Wednesdays and is always near the front of the line. She is in her mid-50’s and cares for her 82-year-old mom, 92-year-old mother-in-law, and 65-year-old husband. She carries a huge burden. Today, she came early asking to get her groceries in the morning. Her mom’s health is very poor and they needed to go to the doctor. She was clearly worried and not her happy self. We were able to pray for her. She gave a big hug and said how much she loves us all. There is a deep connection here with her. Please pray for them all.

We’re pleased to provide you an update on ‘Groceries for Families’ and the transition coming from the current phase 2 to phase 3, beginning in July. Attached is the letter (English & Spanish) which is being given to families, beginning yesterday. In it, you’ll read we are clearly anticipating a change in the program, yet fully inviting all families who continue to need support to stay in a relationship with us. Through these relational conversations, we expect the structure and scope of the next phase to become clearer by June 11. Additional details are being shared with the primary contacts of all participating partners.

Thank you for another great day of ‘Groceries for Families’. Together we are supporting our literal neighbors in this community. Thank you for all you are doing.

Blessings to you all,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/24/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/24/21

Groceries for Families: Week 59 - Day 1

We begin week 59 of ‘Groceries for Families’ on a very good note, with lovely weather and a humming operation. The morning was chilly, which led to cold hands. The sun pushed the cold out by noon, and the afternoon was simply great. There were lots of people all day in shorts and t-shirts. The morning was busy, especially early, with happy people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. By 9am, nearly half the groceries had been delivered. By 11am, most of them were in. That is unusual. Families kept a steady pace up much of the afternoon, and numbers were very normal in the end, unlike last Tuesday which was missing about 50 families. Great day!

May 11, 2021

Groceries were provided by Cornerstone Fellowship, Saint Madeleine Sophie, Westminster Chapel, East Shore Unitarian, Crossroads Bible, Covenant Presbyterian, Bellevue Christian Reformed, Creekside Covenant, and Bellevue Presbyterian churches, as well as 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 today.

The AM crew was primarily from Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, and all returning veterans to this shift. They made it look easy, with all the activity around the area. They didn’t get to pack any food boxes, as they arrived late at 12:10pm. So the next crew quickly iced and wrapped four pallets and packed the last pallet with fresh produce. Well done, crew!

The week always starts off with a swell of food from local grocery stores and distributors, brought to Jubilee by volunteers. Thanks to all: Rick from Amazon Go; Kathy & Dale from Safeway Thrasher’s Corner; Mike, Gil & Kyle from QFC Crossroads; Fred from Whole Foods Bellevue; Gil & Mike from a Local Distributor; Fred from Trader Joe’s Overlake. This food makes up the balance of the daily market area.

Senior lunches were delivered today by Barb, Theresa, and Linda. They went out to 32 individuals in the community and included a very tasty homemade egg salad sandwich recipe. There is a lot of love and care which goes into these meals each week. Thank you, crew!

A few stories and updates:

Shahin was at Jubilee yesterday to volunteer in the morning. She seems to find it very helpful in her healing. A family friend surprised her this week with a car (2007 Camry) to replace her quickly aging car. She said the stress she used to feel just expecting something with her car to go wrong, is now gone. That is as much a gift as the vehicle.

Tanya is a woman in the program who was profiled a few weeks ago in this email. She lives with her Grandma nearby and a few other elderly folks in a home. She was gone last week, which is very unusual. When we chatted with her to welcome her back, she shared that her Grandma died two weeks ago (92 years old). She is sad but said she was doing fine. Please pray for her. Her life will be transitioning now.

Near the front of the line, each Tuesday is a mother and 9-year-old daughter. They were profiled in this email a few weeks ago because they had commented how great it is to see the crew pray before opening each day. Today, the daughter brought an envelope and was very excited to give it to us. Inside was the attached thank you note. So sweet! Their family is originally from Romania.

We noticed a young man going through the line today, whom we didn’t recognize. Saying hello, his name is Riccardo, and he is a 19 year old senior at Redmond High School. Their family arrived from Honduras two years ago. He spoke no English then but now easily carries a conversation. He took advantage of an ELL class at school. We told him about the ELL classes at Jubilee for his mom next fall. He was excited to hear about it and will see about signing her up. We’ve heard stories from families of the horrific place Honduras is right now. It simply isn’t safe.

We begin this week with 669 families in ‘Groceries for Families’ and 23 on the waiting list. The slight downward trend is continuing, which is both from families telling us they no longer need the support and us removing some families for attendance reasons. Since September 1, 2020, there have been 211 families have departed the program. We’ve balanced the numbers between 700-750 most of the last nine months.

Thank you for your continued prayers for this program and these families. Please pray for those you don’t hear about in this email, too. Thank you for the continued support with your time, treasure, and energy.

Enjoy the warmth of the evening, wherever this email finds you tonight.

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/11/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/11/21

Groceries for Families: Week 58 - Day 3

We end the week on a very positive note, with happy families, ample donations, and a smooth-running operation. The weather today was ever-changing. The morning was actually warm until it got a bit colder. The sun came out but went away. The wind picked up in the afternoon, including a 20 minute period of sustained gusts which caused us some havoc. Finally, the rain came with dark clouds and colder temps. Now it is calm and dry. The morning was calm with a steady inflow of people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items, along with Mother’s Day flowers and cards. Families lined up early at 1pm and kept a steady pace all afternoon. It was a pretty normal Thursday, with perhaps a few extra families.

May 6, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Highland Covenant, Victory Court, Sacred Heart Parish & School, Bellevue Presbyterian, Overlake Park Presbyterian, Doxa, First United Methodist, Lighthouse and Crossroads Bible churches, as well as Champions Foundation, Rotary Bellevue Sunrise and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 203 orders came in today (thank you for the extras!) and all went out today to families, along with 9 carried over from yesterday. Thank you to everyone who donated today.

Food boxes arrived at 11:15am today but with one less pallet than normal. The driver had given one of our pallets to his previous stop in Covington, thinking they were short. This turned out to be an error. Cascadia Produce apologized and almost drove out another pallet to us but couldn’t pull it off logistically. This didn’t impact our operation but did impact the number of boxes we could give to our partners this afternoon, which is a shame. They were very understanding. The AM crew did a great job of packing these boxes and receiving all the deliveries. Thank you, crew!

A Crossroads Bible volunteer was here to handle the passing out of flowers and cards to families. The sea of flowers was simply beautiful. People were very happy to receive their gifts. Thank you, Kim!

A nice delivery of fresh trout came in to fill the fish freezer today. Thank you! The fish goes to families which do not eat other meat. They are very grateful for the option of fish.

A few stories and updates:

Nancy comes on Thursday, picking up groceries for her own family, her mother and her mother-in-law. She was very pleased to be able to take them flowers and cards. It must have been a sweet moment when she delivered them. Such a beautiful picture.

Lily took two boxes of sandwiches to downtown Seattle, finding a line of homeless men and women at the Mission. She sent back some pictures. Here’s what she wrote in her email back: “I send you a few pictures today some people allow me to take pictures but some others not. I went to The Mission to drop the sandwiches and what I saw impact me. They did not have to much to give but there were giving some cheese and crackers and a few things. When I was leaving the people already in line waiting there were telling God bless you lady. I left there crying 😢😭😪 The people who goes to Jubilee REACH they take for granted what they receive and sometimes they pick the food and they return the food they don't like. I see it with my own 👀 And this homeless people are happy with cheese and crackers and sandwiches 😔😪 It make to appreciate more the help that you guys are giving me and be grateful that I'm a little part of them bringing the sandwiches. Because you trust me enough to bring the sandwiches to them. 😪😔😪😪”

A man came late today, about 3:45pm, looking for food for his family. He is not in the program, so would normally be added to the waiting list, but the operation had already transitioned. We welcomed him and provided him a box & bag like normal. He was very happy, as he has a family of 6. Then we presented him with flowers and a card for his wife, which brought a huge smile of disbelief. We assured him this doesn’t happen every day, but he came on the right day. We asked him to return next week to formally enter the waiting list. Hopefully he comes back. In the meantime, he went away happy and with food for his family, as well as some lovely gifts for his wife. So great!

A woman named Lisa came today, whom we all know and adore. She has her own kids and cares for both her parents. Her 91 year old dad has been diagnosed with a kind of leukemia, some of which is still unknown. They believe it is a treatable kind, but his age makes things more difficult. She asked if people could pray for them as they walk through this new situation.

Thank you for another great week of ‘Groceries for Families’. Please keep these families and this program in your prayers. Information about the future of ‘Groceries for Families’ will be coming out next week.

Have a great weekend,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/11/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/11/21

Groceries for Families: Week 58 - Day 2

After a slow day yesterday, today proved very busy with about 30 families more than a normal Wednesday. The weather certainly cooperated. The morning was actually quite chilly, which led to cold hands for the morning crew. By the late morning, it was pleasant, and the afternoon was very warm with light clouds. The morning parking lot was very busy, with happy people dropping off groceries, pantry, and hygiene items, along with flowers and cards. There is a definite joy found in the people coming each day. Thank you, everyone. The afternoon started with a long line and kept up a short line the entire afternoon.

May 5, 2021

Groceries today were provided by 24-Seven, Newport Covenant, St. Louise, Crossroads Bible, Bellevue Presbyterian, Calvary Chapel Eastside, Indian Fellowship, and Bellevue Christian Reformed churches, as well as the Rotary Club of Bellevue, Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, and the Jubilee Friends group. A total of 210 orders came in and all went out to families today. Thank you to everyone who donated.

The AM volunteers were from Bellevue Presbyterian Church today, as well as one visitor from Austin, TX who has been supporting and praying for this program since the beginning. They worked very hard receiving all the deliveries, including flowers and cards. Food boxes didn’t arrive until 11:45am today, so they wrapped them in ice & blankets, but left the packing for the next shift. Well done and thank you, crew.

The food boxes arrived all leaning like the Tower of Pisa. It looked like they were packed poorly or the wrap wasn’t tight enough. The bottom rows were all squished, and many of the milk inside had the spouts pushed in. It turns out there is a shortage of high-grade cardboard nationwide right now. So, Medosweet had to use a lower grade today, which just isn’t strong enough. We were able to deal with this over the course of the day. The worst part was these boxes didn’t have handles cut out. It makes it much harder to grab a 30-pound box without them. It is expected the better boxes will be back tomorrow.

A large order of 24 boxes of bananas arrived early this morning from Amazon Go Overlake. The AM crew separated them into different piles based on quality. Some went into the market (too brown), some went into food boxes (just right), and some were held for tomorrow (a little green). Thank you, Rick!

Two volunteers from Crossroads Bible Church were here today to handle passing out the flowers and cards, plus a few balloons. The sea of color was so beautiful. There were so many happy, happy women today. There were also happy men, who now had something to give their wife. Thank you to everyone who brought these special items. Thank you, Gaby & Bianca, for your service today.

A few stories and updates:

You hear about Maria regularly, as she brings lunch for the crew often on Tuesdays. She had knee surgery recently, so come today for groceries. She came with her caregiver, who went through as first in line today. We were able to talk to Maria through the car window. She is in a lot of pain but is happy to be on the healing side of surgery. She plans to bring lunch next week. Both she and her caregiver received beautiful bouquets and cards. Please pray for them.

Samira was profiled in this email last week. She came late today to bring the crew a special Ethiopian dessert called ‘basbousa’. It tastes like light cornbread with sweet syrup on the bottom. She said she wants to say thank you for all the support her family is receiving both at Jubilee and with the Jubilee coach at Ardmore Elementary. This thank you is for all of you, too.

A picture of Trenton is on the right, being silly today with a young girl. He has befriended her and her cousin over the last many weeks. She was chattering on about their matching hair bows, although she has lost hers. Trenton playfully asked if he could try on her sparkly coat. She was stunned when he did. You can see the mom filming it and just loving every moment. It was a lovely light moment of being silly, right before we opened.

Last week on Wednesday, we shared how Jose took five extra food boxes to the kitchen crew as his Sammamish restaurant. He reported today; they were extremely thankful. With extra boxes from yesterday, we gave him more today. Knowing what impact it made, Jose was very excited to take the more. Love that.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Thank you for another great day of ‘Groceries for Families’. So many of you are supporting this program in so many ways, many of them unseen and anonymous. Wherever you are plugged in, thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to helping these families.

Blessings to you all,

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

Jubilee REACH Communications 5/11/21 Jubilee REACH Communications 5/11/21

Groceries for Families: Week 58 - Day 1

Week 58 is here and the warm sunshine filled the afternoon, after a cool & cloudy morning. Such weather is very conducive to grocery operation. Love it, while it’s here. The morning was full of happy people bringing groceries, a pantry, and hygiene items, along with lots of beautiful flowers & cards. Thank you, everyone! The afternoon was unusually slow, with the final attendance being about 50 short of normal. We have no idea why. Families are permitted to switch days, so we’ll see if the next two days are busier. Besides the lower numbers, the operation was very smooth today.

May 4, 2021

The morning volunteer group of eight people came from seven different churches. They worked hard to keep the operation organized. Food boxes came at 10:30am, which they quickly iced and wrapped in insulating blankets. They received all the deliveries and kept the Mother’s Day extras organized. Well done, crew!

We want to acknowledge the weekly deliveries brought by volunteers from local grocery stores and distributors this week: Rick from Amazon Go Overlake; Kathy & Dale from Safeway Thrasher’s Corner; Mike, Gil & Kyle from QFC Crossroads; Fred from Whole Foods Bellevue; Gil & Mike from a local distributor; Fred from Trader Joe’s Overlake. Thank you, everyone!

Just as we were worrying this morning about having enough flowers, in came a surprise delivery from Three Points Elementary School in Medina. The parents there had done a staff appreciation day with flowers and had about 40 bouquets leftover, which a grocery volunteer-delivered to Jubilee. What a prayer answered! Thank you, Valerie.

Senior lunches were delivered by Barb, Theresa, and Ashley. These care packages were taken to 32 people in the community who are otherwise quite isolated. The crew puts a lot of love into the meals and bags. Thank you, crew.

Volunteers from Crossroad Bible Church came to pass out the flowers and cards to all the families today. Kim and Jodi had a lot of fun filling this unique role in the operation. Thank you, ladies.

The King County Master Gardeners delivered a few flats of tomato and pepper plants, leftover from a plant sale. They’ll be passed out this week. Thank you, Wendy & everyone else there

A few stories and updates:

Shahin came to volunteer yesterday, which is her third shift. It seems to be therapeutic for her to be here. She is quiet but very happy to help. Please continue to pray for her and her daughter.

A mom with an infant came today. She was very excited for her first Mother’s Day. The flowers nestled in with the baby made for a fun pose. After the picture was taken, we learned her sister had driven them Jubilee but now needed to leave for work. So, the young mom was left with food for two families and only the bus to get home. Impossible. Clearly, there was no plan. The woman who photo-bombed is Mariana, who is a total sweetheart and full of joy. Overhearing this, she offered to drive the woman home in NE Bellevue. So, the food and baby were loaded up in a minivan. Such a great ending and a common example of families helping each other.

Rose came very late today. We’ve profiled her in this email before. Her husband died in spring 2020, not from COVID, leaving her with four children at home. She got a job at Home Depot in south Seattle a few months ago and absolutely loves it. She had come from work and was very tired today. The flowers and card made her day and brought back her lovely smile. From Jubilee, she was going across the street to the cemetery, where her husband is buried.

Angelina and her daughter, Carla, brought lunch for the crew today: chicken quesadillas, Mexican rice, and hot-hot-hot sauce. She continues to show her love and appreciation through her cooking. She hinted that enchiladas may be coming tomorrow. Yes, you can pray for that. 😊

We begin this week with 678 families in ‘Groceries for Families’ (220 Tuesday, 221 Wednesday, 237 Thursday). There are 19 families on the waiting list, which is growing slowly. We will be making final decisions about the future of the program this week, rolling it out to families and all of you next week. The current program is committed through Thursday, July 1. Thanks for your patience. Many of you are asking about the future.

Thanks for another great day. It’s always hard when attendance is down, but families know we are here, which certainly provides comfort for them. We continue to stay true to simply wanting to show love and grace to all who come here. There are many distractions and issues which have to be dealt with. Yet, we want to remain focused on seeing the families who come to Jubilee as important members of this community, caring for them in any way possible, and making sure they are not alone in this difficult time. Further, we want to pray for them, as much as possible. For those profiled in this email, you can pray for them in very personal ways. Please do. Please also pray for the many families not highlighted. They are here, too. Thank you for all you are doing.

Enjoy the warmth of this May evening, wherever this email finds you,

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 3

We end week 57 of ‘Groceries for Families’ on a very positive note, with nice weather and a steady operation. Everyone enjoyed a warm day, with plenty of sunshine streaming through. Lots of people were in shorts and t-shirts, which was fun to see. The morning was a very steady flow of people with deliveries of groceries, pantry, and hygiene items. Thank you to everyone! Families lined up all the way across the line as we opened at 1pm. By 2pm the line was gone but it returned soon enough and kept up until the end. The last 30 minutes were super busy. The extra food boxes carried over from Tuesday all went out today. Great day!

April 29, 2021

Groceries today were provided by Champions Foundation, Rotary Bellevue Sunrise and the Jubilee Friends group, as well as Sacred Heart Parish & School, Lighthouse, First United Methodist, Doxa, Crossroads Bible, Victory Court, Highland Covenant, Overlake Park Presbyterian and Bellevue Presbyterian churches. A total of 187 orders came in today and all went out to families, along with 38 carried over from yesterday. Thank you to all who donated today!

The AM volunteers were from Sacred Heart Parish today, including returning and new volunteers. This group of eight worked hard all morning receiving groceries and other deliveries. They working on the flower bouquets and packed 1 ½ pallets of food boxes. Thank you and well done, crew!

An extra delivery from a local distributor came in today with all sorts of sandwiches, snacks, and beverages. All are very popular items in the daily market. Gil and Mike work hard to bring this to Jubilee. Thank you, fellas!

Seattle Gourmet Foods returned with another gift today of many boxes of chocolate treats. They were intended for gift boxes but were extras, so our families will benefit. They will be distributed next week. Thank you, Bret and Mike.

All the remaining food boxes from the week were given to our two partners, El Dios Viviente Church and St. Monica Parish, late today. They are able to distribute it all into the community very quickly, so it reaches people’s homes today. Thank you to them for the efforts each week.

A few stories and updates:

Erwin came late today to pick up food. He works on Thursdays, so comes straight from the restaurant, still wearing his kitchen uniform. His family is doing well, and his wife’s health is stable. He is hoping to get five days of work next week for the first time because of Mother’s Day. If King County goes back to ‘Phase 2’, it may be impacted. Full-time work is a way back to normal for so many families.

Lily came today to take two boxes of sandwiches to Pioneer Square to give to the homeless there. She was so surprised to find the entire area cleaned up and looking fresh. There were actually very few people there. She had to look around for where the homeless were now congregating and did find them. All the sandwiches were passed out. She has such a heart for helping people.

An email from a family: “I just want to say that my family and I are so very grateful and blessed to have the help we’ve encountered throughout the pandemic. I can’t thank you enough for your generosity to help those in need at this time. May God bless each and every one of you and your family. Take Care!! Maria”

An email from a family: “I want to thank all the Jubilee reach Staff, volunteers, Administration, all the sponsors, donors, and everybody who make this program possible for us. My family and I want to extend my sincere gratitude for all the groceries provided with your program. Words can't express what I would like to say. Again thank you so. much. God Bless you all.”

Thank you for another great week of ‘Groceries for Families’. Please keep these families and this program in your prayers. As you know, we are actively seeking discernment for the future of the program. Please share any thoughts you may have through your own prayer and discernment.

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.

blog home page