If you live in the city of Buffalo, then you’re probably familiar with the concept of Little Free Library. Now, someone living in Watertown, NY, has come up with a variation of the philanthropic sharing/giving concept. Roman Espinoza has designed, developed, and implemented what he calls a “blessing box”.
The box is essentially a miniature food pantry that works the same way the miniature library functions, but instead of books, there’s food inside. Now, his neighbors have caught on to the charitable act, and there are currently 20 blessing boxes dotting the streets. The boxes are always open for people to donate food, and also for people to pick up food when they are hungry.
CNN has covered the story of Espinoza and his charitable food pantry program. According to the article, the food donations come from myriad sources, including the pasta company Barilla. Home Depot has been donating the wood to make the boxes. It’s an awesome community effort, that should be picked up by other neighborhoods across the US, including Buffalo.