April 14, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
A new form of food pantry has started in Smithville to serve the needy especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s called a “Blessing Box” , a miniature outdoor cabinet stocked mostly with non-perishable foods and other essential items, and it has been placed outside the DeKalb County Complex. The Blessing Box is designed for those in the community trying to make ends meet during hard times and anyone needing help or wanting to donate food is encouraged to “Take what you need. Bring what you can. Above all, be blessed. ”
The idea is simple. People place their donations inside the box so people in need can take what they need, anytime of the day or night.
Kristi Longmire got the idea for the project here after seeing it done elsewhere and she enlisted the help of Wesley and Valerie Slager to build the first Blessing Box for DeKalb County.
“I had noticed on facebook and other websites how that Blessing Boxes were popping up all over Tennessee and I thought how great it would be if we had one in Smithville. I am not a builder so I knew I couldn’t build it myself so Valerie Slager contacted me and said she and her husband Wesley would be glad to build a box and donate it. They got it done within a couple of weeks and set it up on Saturday. It is accessible anytime someone needs a little food to help them get by and they can also do it discreetly,” said Longmire.
“Although we have other food pantry programs in DeKalb which are wonderful, sometimes people needing help are reluctant to reach out to them. With the Blessing Box, they can get a few items discreetly, even in the middle of the night if they want to as a way of getting by until they get their next paycheck,” Longmire continued.
The Blessing Box is already having its intended effect.
“Word has already gotten out. Valerie set it up on Saturday. I went by Sunday and it was still full but Valerie checked Monday and it was empty. She filled it back up. Its all on the honor system. People can take what they need from the Blessing Box and people who want to donate to help others are encouraged to stop by and add things to it. We’re going to keep it full and hopefully it will be a blessing to anybody who needs it in DeKalb County,” added Longmire.
Plans are to also place a Blessing Box soon in Alexandria.
“I want to thank County Mayor Tim Stribling. He liked the idea of the Blessing Box and he was nice enough to let us put it at the complex,” said Longmire.