Your COVID Food Relief Team is very proud to be partnering with Jubilee Reach to help provide weekly groceries for approximately 725 families representing over 3,000 people. This is an amazing ministry. East Shore is contributing groceries for 15 families, which equals around $1,800-$2,000/month. This letter captures the heart of this ‘Groceries for Families’ program. Liz works at Jubilee and has served on the grocery crews from the beginning.
Hi all,
Today I was staring out my office window as I zoned out for a minute from monotonously entering donations into our database. I have a second-floor view of the Groceries for Families. I saw two women talking on the lawn and families loading cars with fresh food. I saw Ken in his neon vest balancing two boxes and a grocery bag on the way to someone’s car. I saw feet shuffling in line under the carport. I saw vehicles pulling in and out of the parking lot – coming and going from the rest of their complex, busy, beautiful lives.
Then it dawned on me just how incredible it is that I get to be at this intersection of real community. One person comes in the morning with their groceries. In the afternoon, it’s their neighbors, co-workers, fellow parents of Bellevue School District students who receive these groceries. But it’s not a one-way transaction.
I’ve seen our neighbors’ art work on cards going into bags of groceries. And I’ve seen the art work of kids who eat those groceries line our walls in the center. I’ve eaten the delicious rice pudding that afternoon families have made. And I’ve eaten one too many donuts that families have dropped off for us staff in the morning. Families on both sides of the program have shared how they loved talking with people when they come to Jubilee – they have a sense of community here.
I’m not just entering numbers into a database. I’m standing at this intersection of community. I get to connect the generosity of our community with the lives of real people around me. And I get to witness and partake in the various forms of gratitude and generosity families reciprocate. It’s a beautiful thing to have a job like this, and I’m thankful to work with you all and thankful for the joy and diligence each of you brings to the table. Keep up the good work in whatever you are doing – it matters.
With gratitude,
Liz Meyer, Investor Relations Coordinator