The Blessing Box – One Woman's Answer to an Entire Town's Problem
What started as a small cabinet filled with canned goods and warm clothes has turned into a small town’s growing movement to assist those in need. The idea blossomed back in 2014 when a gravely ill woman, made a pact between herself and God that with his healing she would lead a life of charity.
After 45 days on life support, Lori Allen, the creator of The Blessing Box, needed something to fill her days and bring purpose back to her life.
“I made a pact between myself and God, that if he got me well enough I would create something to help our community.”
While recovering Lori was inspired by similar concepts featured on social media, and began brainstorming for her own ways of giving back. Starting with a basic shelter and using nothing but repurposed and recycled items Lori’s box began to take shape. After 3 months couponing and stocking up, she had the starting point for her Blessing Box.
Located outside of her home on Williams Highway, in Grants Pass, Oregon, the blessing box was officially opened on August 12th, 2017. It was the start of something rewarding for Lori, and even life changing for others.
“The goal was 45 days. I wanted to stock it myself for 45 days, and honestly didn’t see it going past that.”
But it did continue. And now, reaching its six-month mark, it continues to grow. With a shelter built around the original box made out of repurposed material, the blessing box has almost doubled in size and in donations. All the items that are found at the blessing box come out of Lori’s income, or the donations of others, with no state funding toward the project.
Currently, the biggest items of need are things that cannot be purchased with SNAP Food Stamp benefits or received from a standard food bank. Things like hygiene products, toiletries, baby items and clothing are always the first to go and mostly purchased by Lori and her family.
According to the 2018 SNAP Benefits Data, just under 3 Million dollars will be given in Oregon Trail Food Stamps for Josephine County alone. This is based off of the numbers for previous years and the estimated growth These benefits can be used for anything with a nutrition label that isn’t considered under the “Hot Food” Guidelines. These benefits cannot, however, be used for basic necessities like toilet paper, diapers, or feminine hygiene products. Because of this, many of the current resources for those in poverty, including Lori’s Blessing Box, have been asking for donations of that kind.
As poverty continues to rise in the area, resources like food banks and missions have become a crucial part of the communities. It is estimated that upwards of 30% of Southern Oregon currently lives in poverty or below the poverty level and that percentage has continued to rise over the past few years, hitting the small and rural communities the hardest. The unemployment rate for Southern Oregon Counties hovers at an average of 6.14% compared to a statewide average of 4.5% for 2016. Due to this increase in poverty, things like food banks and donation centers have become a staple for many families in the area, with currently three registered food pantries just in the city of Grants Pass alone. Lori and her family are among those that also sit on this ever-growing statistic.
The interactive chart below further showcases these statistics:
*Data Collected from the U.S. Census*
But for Lori, her humble beginnings have made for a huge heart. She remembers her childhood growing up on a family farm in a small home with a dirt floor. Despite their struggles, the family always found means to serve others. Lori has fond memories of her father and mother taking in others that may have been struggling, and hungry children always left their home with full bellies.
“We grew up poor, but always appreciating what we had.”
Though the Blessing Box started off on a bright step, the future is still uncertain as rumors of development of the home where Lori and her family have lived for over 20 years has begun to circulate. If the development goes through, Lori and her family will not only lose the Blessing Box, but also their home.
This story is not unlike the stories of many families in the local community, and “in search of” requests on social media for things like livable travel trailers have become commonplace. Though there are also resources in the community for housing, like the HUD program, there are currently waitlists to receive the state funded benefits.
Though the future may be uncertain for this community staple, Lori continues to try and focus on the now and the positive.
“I don’t know how much longer the Blessing Box will have much of a future, but until then, I get to continue giving to my community, and that is gratifying that I am still able to help.”
“As long as we have a place to do it from, we will continue to keep giving.”
