Blessing Boxes are small community pantries built around the premise of – Take What You Need, Leave What You Can. They are stocked with nonperishable food and personal care items, and they promote strong communities while increasing access to essential items in rural communities.
Our summer intern, Sadie, has worked to create three Blessing Boxes in Stark County, and the Stark County FFA will help maintain and restock them throughout the year to ensure they remain lasting community resources. To kick off this initiative, my District Office is inviting the communities in Stark County to donate nonperishable food, toiletries, baby food, feminine hygiene products, and other everyday essentials during our Blessed Box Donation Day.
This event will take place on Tuesday, August 4! Blessing Boxes will be set up in Wyoming, Toulon, and Bradford. My District Office staff and I will be there in the morning to greet everyone who stops by to donate, with free cups of coffee available while supplies last. We will be present at the following times, but community members are invited to drop off items anytime these locations are open to the public. Our schedule on August 4 is:
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. – Wyoming at City Hall
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. – Toulon at the Park Pavilion
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. – Bradford at Hodges Park
I will be present at Wyoming and Toulon, and my staff will handle collections at Bradford. Thank you to these three municipalities for participating, including local contacts Jim Chadwick, Jim Mercer, and Larry Hollis. Thank you to my interns and staff for helping coordinate all of this as well. And an incredible thank you to the Stark County FFA for their commitment to sustaining these community pantries to benefit everyone in our communities! Please consider coming out in the morning on August 4 as we kick off this wonderful initiative!