SAXONBURG — It appeared this spring, a gray box on Main Street.

Supported by four posts, the box bears black letters spelling out “Blessing Box.” A sign urges people to take food if they are hungry.

Opening the box, one finds nonperishable food items: Ramen noodles, cans of soup, boxes of oatmeal and macaroni and cheese and rolls of bathroom tissue.

The Saxonburg Blessing Box is the work of Jim and Judy Wright.

When the couple saw a story about the boxes on the evening news, they knew that such a box would benefit their Saxonburg neighbors.

“If someone is down on their luck and they don't know what they're going to do, they can go to the Blessing Box and get something to eat,” Jim Wright said.

Simple concept

No one knows where the concept of the boxes started, but they have sprouted up across the country.

The concept is simple: take what you need or leave what you can. Anyone can use the goods in the boxes, which range from nonperishable foods to personal hygiene items, to get through a rough patch. The boxes are not meant to take the place of more traditional food pantries but rather to help out in a pinch.

And indeed, Providence Hartle, director of Abba's House, said she's seen at least one man using the box. She believes more people would use the box, but there is not wide knowledge of the resource.

The Saxonburg box isn't a project for any of the churches, but rather for anyone who wants to help out.

When they placed the box, the Wrights wrote letters to the churches in Saxonburg telling them about the box and inviting all to participate in either stocking the box or taking advantage of the aid offered there.

The couple chose to place the box at Abba's House, because of its central location.

Abba's House is on the property of St. Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 310 N. Main St. Hartle said the Wrights asked permission from the church before placing the box.

Finding the right box

Seeing the story about Blessing Boxes on the news sent the Wrights to the Internet for research.

While many boxes are in warm climates and constructed of wood, Jim Wright knew that the changing weather in Western Pennsylvania would require the box to be a bit more sturdy. Deciding what materials to use for the box was the first step for the Wrights.

“We kicked around a couple of ideas about what would work,” Jim Wright said.

Finally, he decided on a large plastic bin. The Wrights started the box with a few donated goods. Within a couple of days, the box was filled.

Each day, Jim Wright walks three miles. His route takes him past the Blessing Box, where he checks to see if there are goods in the box and to make sure it is secure.

“It's been through some storms and it's bone dry,” he said.

The Wrights bought two boxes, and Jim Wright hopes that another community will erect their own Blessing Box with the other plastic bin.