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Garrett Sanders, a senior at Hammond High Magnet School, spends much of his time on 4-H service and leadership projects. As part of a long-term service project with 4-H, Sanders has partnered with city officials to create “Blessing Boxes” that encourage community members to put items in the box that they wish to donate — or to take items if they are in need.
He is helping his community one blessing at a time.
“So, if you walk by and you need some vienna sausage to eat you can take it,” Sanders said. “But if you are a little more privileged than some and you walk by and see other people need something, you can drop something in there.”
The boxes were created to hold personal hygiene items as well as nonperishable food to help individuals in need. Printed on the front of each box is an admonition: “Take what you need, leave what you can.”
With the help of his parents, two Blessing Boxes have been built. One is located outside the courthouse in Hammond and one at the city recreation center.
“It just makes a great impact on the community. Some people can’t afford to eat. They don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” Sanders said. “This just kind of reassures them that they do have something to eat tonight.”
Sanders frequently checks the boxes to make sure that they are stocked. His mom helps him with shopping and re-stocking. The cost is around $50 to fill a box.
Sanders welcomes donations for building the boxes. Each box costs $150 to build. He is always looking for businesses, organizations or individuals who are interested in sponsoring a box. Currently, he has a cooperative endeavor with the city of Hammond, but his vision is to see the boxes around the state. While Sanders checks the boxes to make sure they are filled, the community is encouraged to help as well.
4-H members are four times more likely to give back to their communities.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture
