How One Family's 'Blessing Box' Inspired a Community to Help Others

A Kansas family’s “blessing box” has been inspiring their community to help people in need.

Maggie Ballard and her 6-year-old son Paxton installed the red “box” outside their home in Wichita with a sign that reads, “Take a blessing when you need one. Leave a blessing when you can.”

The box contains everyday essentials like hygiene products and food. People come late at night or early in the morning to take the “blessings,” Ballard told Buzzfeed.

“I love that it provides anonymity for people taking and people leaving,” she said. “It’s always available – no guilt, no pressure, no paperwork.”

People have been donating to the cause by leaving goods on the family’s doorstep or giving cash. Some who have taken advantage of the blessing box have left thank you notes for the Ballards.

The blessing box is a passion of Paxton’s, his mother said.

“It’s the last thing he does before bed and the first thing, ok – the second thing he does when he wakes up,” she said.