Our church has a Blessing Box – it’s a small cabinet near the church that we fill with non-perishable food year-round and hats and gloves in the winter. Anyone who needs may take from it, with no strings attached, no questions asked. We (my 17-year-old son, my 12-year-old son and I) used the Giving Card to purchase food for the Blessing Box from the local-owned grocery store in our town. The kids picked out items that would be part of a holiday dinner. We wanted to provide a holiday dinner to someone who might not otherwise get one.
The best part came when we went to fill the Blessing Box. As we pulled up, a couple had just checked the Blessing Box. As often happens, it was nearly empty – there is such a great demand that food disappears quickly. I talked with them, and they had been off work due to COVID, so money was tight. We were able to give them everything for a Christmas dinner except the meat: mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, canned yams, green beans, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, and even hot chocolate to warm up on that bitterly cold day. They were so appreciative. Even after that, we still had food left over to put in the Blessing Box for others. We filled it around noon on Saturday, and by Sunday morning, everything that we had put in was gone. As a single mother, I have known how hard it is to be facing a holiday with few resources. Thank you for helping make Christmas a little brighter for those who need it.