As the calendar turns to October, we enter one of the most joyous times of the year – the holiday season. For most of us, it is a happy time in which we share special celebrations and get-togethers with family and friends, often around tables filled with lovingly prepared feasts.
Unfortunately, the holidays can also be a very stressful time, particularly for those in need. Financial worries and hunger tend to worsen during the holiday season, prompting many to wonder how they will be able to feed their families.
Several local nonprofits work year-round to help families get through hard times. However, they are often unable to meet all the demand, resulting in a gap in the social services net that some families can fall through.
To help address this situation, a grassroots mission has arisen that is helping to address food insecurity concerns. Known as the Blessing Box initiative, the approach is a community-driven effort to place food boxes where anyone facing hunger can access them freely and anonymously. To learn more about Blessing Boxes, Hendersonville Lifestyle sat down with local advocate Trisha Russo.
What are Blessing Boxes?
“Blessing Boxes are standalone mini pantries that contain donated food and personal care items that are freely available to people in need. By design, the boxes are unlocked, making it easy to both donate and retrieve items. Most of the boxes are accessible on a 24 x 7 basis.”
What items are acceptable as Blessing Box donations?
“Typical food donations consist of such items as soups, cereals, canned meats, peanut butter, crackers and pancake/biscuit mixes. Along with food, toiletry items such as soap, shampoo, toilet paper and toothpaste are also accepted.
How many Blessing Boxes are there in Sumner County?
“As of October, there are 34 boxes across the county, including three in Hendersonville.”
How do people donate?
“Donations can be made anytime - day or night. All that donors need to do is to bring their items to the boxes, open the unlocked doors and place their donations inside.”
How did you learn about Blessing Boxes?
“I first heard about the concept from my sister in 2019,” says Russo. “She lives in White House, and she told me about a Blessing Box on Highway 31W. After she explained how it works, I knew that I wanted to become involved.”
How did you get involved with the mission?
“After learning about the Blessing Box in White House, and discovering two more donation boxes in Gallatin, I started asking my friends about them and I soon realized that no one was aware of them. As a result, I became motivated to spread the word through social media about this worthy local project. Blessing Box donations help our neighbors, and I like promoting community involvement. I now enjoy leading a small group of Facebook advocates supporting this mission purely through local engagement.”
For an anyone seeking to install a Blessing Box, whom should they contact?
“Anyone can contact me – I’m happy to discuss the process. My email address is: blessingboxessumner@gmail.com”
"In today’s tough economy, groceries are so expensive that many families need immediate help. As a result, our Blessing Boxes are very busy, often turning over all donations every 48-72 hours, sometimes even faster."