Waverly Road Presbyterian Church youth start 'Blessing Box' project ~ Kingsport, Tennessee - USA. - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

Waverly Road Presbyterian Church youth start 'Blessing Box' project
HOLLY VIERS • SEP 24, 2017 AT 10:00 AM
hviers@timesnews.net


KINGSPORT — Rachel Lawson was scrolling through social media one day when she discovered a mission project that caught her eye.

“There was a church in Little Rock, Arkansas, that was part of (what’s) called the Little Free Pantry movement,” Lawson said. “They put this (box) up outside of their church, and then it really caught on. All around the community, people started putting up their own boxes all over Little Rock. It just kind of took off as a community-sustained ministry.”

Each box, or “little pantry,” contains easily prepared food items, hygiene items, small toys and other items that a person in need can pick up for free any day, any time. And when the box is emptied, it is refilled by community members who have the means to give.

“I thought this would be a wonderful thing to have here,” said Lawson, director of children’s ministry at Waverly Road Presbyterian Church. “We have, unfortunately, quite a large homeless population — not just homeless but people struggling to make ends meet. This would be a great way for the children of our church to provide and keep an eye on blessings that are coming and going.”

When they first started the project, Lawson said the youth group stocked the box with beef jerky, cans of soup and other goods. A couple days later, the church shared the “Blessing Box” project on social media, which is when it began to take off.

“People would start bringing things by and taking things,” Lawson said. “The children would go down and check on it and say, ‘The beef jerky’s gone,’ or ‘The item I picked out has been taken.’ It’s very exciting for them.”

The box is located at 1401 Prospect Drive, outside a house the church owns. It’s available 24/7, which Lawson said is convenient for those who can’t accommodate the limited hours of some food pantries.

“If you’re getting off the late shift at 11 o’clock at night and you know you don’t have anything to eat when you go home, you can stop and get a can of soup or something that you can eat right then,” Lawson said. “That’s what we encourage to be put in the box is immediate things that people can use, a snack food or something they can eat right away, as opposed to flour or baking goods or things like that.”

Anyone from the community is welcome to drop off items in the box anytime. If the box is full, items can be brought into the main office of the church during daytime hours.

Lawson said the project teaches the children that they can make a difference and help alleviate hunger in the region. Looking forward, Lawson hopes that other churches and organizations in the community will join the movement and start their own blessing boxes.

“We want this to be copied and copied and copied,” Lawson said. “It needs to be all over, not just here.”

Those who are interested in receiving or building a blessing box can contact the church at (423) 247-5121.

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 09/24/2017 Publication: Kingsport Times News Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: regional News Category: Society/People

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