San Diego

Give What You Can, Take What You Need: Blessing Box in Santee

The box, designed by the community, for the community, sits outside the Santee Methodist Church on North Magnolia Street.

Give what you can and take what you need.

That's the message behind a new “blessings box” in Santee.

The concept is simple: anyone can donate food, toiletries or baby supplies,and those donations, in turn, are free to take, no questions asked.

The box, designed by the community, for the community, sits outside the Santee Methodist Church on North Magnolia Street.

The box is designed to help people that may need a little something before their next paycheck, but are unable to come into the church or go somewhere else for help. 

The creator of the blessings box, Miranda Williams, was inspired to create the service from her own experience growing up.

"When I was younger, I did have a need and I was not comfortable asking in front of my church or even at school, I did not want people to know that my family did not have money, maybe sometimes not having lunch or something like that,” she told NBC7. “This would've appealed to me and I think that is the appeal to the community."

She said if she had something like this growing up, she would have felt comfortable taking something without feeling embarrassed. 

"Unfortunately there is a stigma with not having enough, especially children," Williams said. "You feel like, I don't want people to know my family doesn't have money."

The box has been up and running for two weeks. Anyone is free to donate to come take something they need. 

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