Does your city have a community blessing box?
Throughout history there have been countless different ways to provide food and basic supplies to people in need. There are soup kitchens, food pantries, and even special drives for halloween costumes and prom dresses. But perhaps the smallest community pay-it-forward initiative (that makes a big impact!) are the community blessing boxes. The best part- you can start one right in your neighborhood!
What is a Blessing Box
Also known as tiny pantries or share stations, a blessing box is a 24 hour accessible location for community members to donate or receive goods. The concept is easy, give what you can and take what you need. Blessing Boxes are much like a little free library, but for food and home essentials. Most importantly, these boxes are anonymous.
How to Build a Blessing Box
The easiest way to build a blessing box is to repurpose another item. People have upcycled newspaper stands, cupboards, and other storage items. Check out your local thrift shop for furniture items that can be upcycled into a blessing box. If that’s not possible, Blessing Boxes can be build from scratch following a basic four wall and roof design. Make sure that your box is sturdy, and latches, to prevent animals from breaking in, and can keep rain out. It should also have shelves to hold an assortment of donations.
Extra considerations:
- Be sure to label the blessing box, so people know what it is. You could also include the slogan give what you can, take what you need or the word “free” so people know they are able to take items.
- Motion activated lights will help community members see if they seek out items during the night, and also scare away trash pandas who may try to steal.
Where to Put a Blessing Box
There are multiple considerations when choosing a location for your blessing box. You’ll want the box to be easily located to drop off donations, and accessible by foot. You’ll also want to place them in areas of the community where there is a need for these donations. It may also be a consideration of discretion- some people may avoid using a blessing box that is in a public area with high traffic, to avoid being seen. On the flip side, hidden boxes could make it difficult to be found, or even get vandalized.
- Public parks
- Church parking lots
- Library parking lots
- Personal residences in gated communities
Always contact the owner of the property, or city council before placing a blessing box. You might have to go to a town/city hall meeting before getting approval. You’ll also need to confirm that there are no electrical lines or water pipes where you plan on digging to place your box.
What to Put in Your Blessing Box
Non-perishable food
Think beyond cans of beans when adding non-perishable food to the blessing boxes. Boxed macaroni and cheese is very cost effective for donations. A bag of rice can last a long time for a family in need. Ready to serve snacks are good for the homeless community which may not have a stove to prepare. Items like granola bars, fruit cups, and bottles of water are greatly appreciated.
There might be a community fridge, where you can drop off milk, eggs, or other similar essentials. But don’t assume that areas of high need will collect perishable items like bread and produce quickly enough. Even if they don’t need to be refrigerated, perishable food can still attract ants or get moldy quickly with outside temperatures and humidity.
Personal Items and Household Goods
- Toilet paper
- OTC pain medication
- Tooth brushes/toothpaste/floss
- Deodorant
- Dish soap
- Laundry soap
- Shampoo/conditioner and body wash
Menstrual Supplies
Going without menstrual supplies is not only unhygienic, but greatly impacts a person’s ability to work or go to school. Period poverty is not always recognized like food or financial poverty, but has a huge impact on the community. Period packs provide a cycle’s worth of supplies to a person in need. Curious what to put in a period pack? Check out this blog post.
Baby Supplies
Did you know many families in need will go without food to purchase supplies for their children? Diapers, wipes, and even cans of formula or jars of baby food greatly bless the community.
Job Postings
Although you shouldn’t exploit the blessing boxes as free advertising, it’s likely that people using these boxes are unemployed. Employment opportunities
Don’t forget to share the news
Marketing is an important part of the community blessing box initiative, because if people don’t know about it they won’t use it. Be sure to contact your local news station, and try to get a story both on air and print.
Using social media is a great way to keep the boxes filled. Ask community members to “sponsor” a box by checking in weekly and reporting back when it is running low. Running a public facebook page for the blessing boxes also allows community members to share content to their own pages, expending the reach of the project. This not only keeps the boxes being filled and used, but could inspire others to build a box in their neighborhood.
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