If you really look around your home, you will probably surprise yourself and find a lot of perfectly good things that have been sitting unused and unopened for a good long time… everything from canned goods to baby formula to extra toothbrushes. It’s like finding hidden treasures around your own home but what do you do with them now? You can continue to let them sit there as the expiration date slowly but steadily approaches, or maybe you can force yourself to use them and avoid being wasteful. But maybe there’s another way that’s even better?
In Muncie, Indiana, a woman named Jeannetta Presley has done just that. Jeanetta decided to help bring her community together in a very special and generous way by creating what’s known as a “Blessing Box” and placing it in the front of her yard.
The Blessing Box consists of a small black cabinet that’s stocked with shelf-stable food items and basic toiletries, such as peanut butter, dry pasta, sugar, shampoo, and diapers. On the outside, the box has tape on it with writing that reads “take what you need, bring what you can.” The idea is for the box to be a sort of revolving door of communal goods to allow people to help out their neighbours when they’re in times of need.
“Everybody is just trying to survive,” Jeanetta said. “If I can give somebody a dinner for one evening, then I did my part for that day, or if I just added something that they didn’t have to make a dinner, then that’s okay, too.”
Jeannetta got the idea when she saw a similar concept from a church in Georgia, and she hopes the idea continues to spread. We hope so too! Watch the video below for the full story and don’t forget to share it with your family and friends!
