Janice Mortimer, Shelly Bowen, Teresa Phillips, Sylvia Reddish, Gale Trotter, Dimple Overstreet, Rachel Rhoden, Carolyn Carver, Alica McMillian, Carnell Williams, Sandra Demps, Jim Lyons, Norma Robinson, and Sarah Long..
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
United for the cause of feeding those in need, group members took turns making introductions and expressing their support for the joint effort this past Monday morning.
The occasion was the installation of a Blessing Box in the circular drive of the RJE Center. Purchased with a grant obtained by the Health Department, Starke Altrusans are sponsoring the box, pledging to help keep it filled with food and personal care items. It was placed on the property with the blessing of Concerned Citizens of Bradford County.
Concerned Citizens President Alica McMillian pointed to the nearby classrooms where parents drop off and pick up their young children from Head Start. The Health and Wellness Resource Hub will also be serving the community there.
A Blessing Box is just what is sounds like: a box open to the community to both offer and receive blessings. Anyone may help fill it with donations of nonperishable food and hygiene items, and anyone may partake.
The generous women of Starke Altrusa with the help of the Health Department and Concerned Citizens are sure to keep it well stocked.
“I just want to say thank you guys,” Starke Altrusa President Sarah Long said. “Thank you to the health department for bringing us this project. They came and spoke at a meeting back in August and we just kind of fell in love with the project.”
With the help of a grant, the Health Department’s Jim Lyons has been identifying locations for the Blessing Boxes. The Bradford Health Department, Answers Resource Facility and Lawtey Methodist Church have boxes, and he said another is being installed in Pleasant Grove this week. They are also located in Union County at Lake Butler City Hall, the Church of Christ and the Union Health Department.
In all, he said a grant provided money to build 12 boxes.
According to Lyons, “The idea for the Blessing Box project was born out of community response to greatest needs during the Community Health Needs Assessment taken by the community in early 2023. One of the greatest needs noted was food insecurity across Bradford County. It was noted that while food distribution programs helped greatly, the food didn’t last long especially for a larger family, and those who work often could not take advantage of these distributions, as was also true with those who lacked transportation. After the surveys were ranked and food insecurity was among the top issues, we started looking at ways to ease this need.”
They didn’t have to look far, finding neighboring counties were using these miniature food pantries.
“That’s the beauty of the Blessing Box. It isn’t to provide a weeks’ worth of groceries for someone; it is a simple, no questions way to provide dinner for a family who might not have the means to do so otherwise,” he said, adding that toiletries, baby care items and children’s books are also well received.
“So far, it had been a great success with almost everyone taking what they need and leaving something for the next person in need of additional food, and as the boxes are becoming more well-known. We see community members dropping items off in the boxes to make sure food insecurity is held in check,” Lyons said.
“We’ve got two wonderful groups that are working together, and I don’t think it ends here,” said Altrusan Rachel Rhoden. “Let’s hope that we can continue to work together for the revitalization and betterment of Bradford County.”
“We do share your enthusiasm for this partnership because we know it’s going to be for the best of everybody, especially our citizens,” said Starke City Commissioner Janice Mortimer, who is also a member of Concerned Citizens.
