Blessing box helps those in need

When Meredith and Jim Tracy first started the blessing box, they wanted to provide another option for needy residents. After Meredith Tracy read in the paper about man who’d been arrested for shoplifting to feed his family she knew that she had to take action. The Tracys, in partnership with their church, St. Stephen’s United Episcopalian Church, located at 223 E. Fourth St. N., created the blessing box, a place where those in need could easily get help.

The box, which is stocked with food, clothing and toiletry items sits on the corner of the Tracy’s home, located at 308 N. Sixth Ave. E., faces the alley that runs along the east border of the Tracy’s property.

Meredith Tracy checks the box several times a day, refilling the tuna fish, peanut butter and crackers and granola bars. She tries to stock the box with healthy options that will provide plenty of nutrition, because she worries that what people take out of the box might be all that they eat that day.

“I keep stuff in there that you can just open and eat,” Meredith Tracy said. “We’re not putting Slim Jims in anymore.”

Merle Smith, the reverend at St. Stephen’s says, the Newton community has seen an increasing need over the past decade. Smith said that when the Maytag plant closed, Newton didn’t only lose the jobs, they also lost support for non-profit agencies that help with hunger and homelessness.

“There’s no industry here anymore,” Smith said. “It’s been tough the past ten or eleven years.”

Smith said church members are concerned that a combination of mental health issues and substance abuse make it difficult for those in need to seek help, which is something church members are trying to accommodate by making it easy for the homeless to take what they need.

“I saw a family taking some things, and I didn’t want to infringe, but I thought, they have something to eat tonight,” Meredith Tracy said. “People can take it back and feed their families.”

The church hopes that the Blessing Box’s open door policy will appeal to those in need. The doors are always unlocked, and anyone can take whatever they need without having to sign up or register. The Tracys said that while they check and restock the box several times a day, they make a point to give people their privacy when they see them taking things out of the box.

“We don’t know who’s using it, and we’re not going to watch,” Meredith Tracy said. “It’s for us to provide and God to oversee it.”

The box is filled entirely with donations, and several local businesses have stepped up to help keep the box stocked. Several area dentists donated toothbrushes and a carton of toothpaste, which the Tracys said is one of the most popular items.

“We just can’t seem to keep the hygiene products stocked,” Meredith Tracy said.

Church members said that the response from community members has been overwhelmingly supportive. Donations have come in from throughout the community and plans are underway to build a second box, which will house more clothing and toiletry items.

“Being a minister for 17 years, it’s nice to see that people are finally waking up and realizing that people need help,” Smith said.

The Tracys hope that the second box will provide another source of relief for the community, and they plan to make sure that it’s accessible to anyone. The new design calls for lower shelves to make it easier for children to get food out of the box.

“As long as it’s helping someone, we don’t care, and that’s the bottom line,” Meredith Tracy said.

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com