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When Stacey reached out to the branch manager
at Flowood’s G. Chastain Flynt Memorial Library, she
said that he never blinked an eye before agreeing.
“David has been wonderful to us these last five and a
half years. They’ve been nothing but supportive,”
Stacey recalls. When they placed the little box in the
library lobby in 2018, it was a simple step of
obedience. “I didn’t know how it would be received,”
Stacey said, “but it soon became clear God was
behind this.”
Almost from the beginning, Flowood’s Blessing
Box has needed very regular refilling. Stacey’s
co-workers at Highland Bluff were among the first to
donate food staples. Over time, they paid attention to
what items were most in demand, and they talked to
other relief organizations like the Pinelake Care
Center and Shower Power to see what they used the
most. Breeylnn notes, “It’s mainly food items that
people can make a meal out of without other
ingredients like soup, rice, or mac-n-cheese cups.”
As the need grew and more people wanted to
get involved, Stacey created a Facebook and
Instagram page for the Flowood Blessing Box and an
Amazon wish list so people could easily contribute.
People will also just regularly drop off canned goods
and hygiene products, and they have recently added
toilet paper and detergent to their list. Stacey was
elated. “The response has been unbelievable,” she
shares. “We probably get three or four Amazon
deliveries a day. It almost stays empty.” She has an
area in her home stacked with supplies that they
regularly replenish the box with. Soon the box was
overflowing with donations, and they had to add a
metal rack to accommodate the need.
Then in November of 2023, Miskelly Furniture
found out about their work and gladly donated a
large, beautiful cabinet with ample room for their
supplies. The Blessing Box Facebook page is now up
to 1,800 followers, and Stacey has had car decals
made to slowly continue spreading the word about
the resource. “We certainly don’t do it for the
followers, and it’s not a popularity thing,” Stacey
emphasizes. “There are much larger organizations
doing the same thing, but they do it on a completely
different scale. And they do so much good. But I also
want people to know that it doesn’t have to be
something big. It can be a twenty-dollar Walmart box
that’s just grown over the years. Anyone can walk in
faith and do something, but it’s not doing any good
to just talk about it.”
Their work seems to be having a ripple effect.
Already, Blessing Boxes have been added to libraries
in Brandon and Pearl. Stacey and Breelynn are
getting to experience, first-hand, how God is using
their obedience. “I get 15-20 messages a day on
Facebook from people who have used the box
and just want to say they are grateful. Just today,
I received a message from a lady who lost her job
and was trying to feed her two children that night.
She said that she’d been trying to find work for some
time and that when she got back on her feet, she
hoped to donate and help others who are in her
situation.” Breelynn also relates, “We’ve heard from
hospice nurses who see that their patients don’t have
enough food so they come and use the box to help
them out.” One of the best benefits for Stacey is
seeing the lessons their endeavor is teaching
Breelynn and others. “I want her and her friends to
know how blessed they are, but there are people you
might be sitting next to in class who don’t know
where their next meal is coming from,” she explains.
Breelynn echoes, “That’s one thing this has shown
me - you don’t know who is in need. It could be your
next-door neighbor or a person you’re in class with.”
And let us
watch out for
one another
to provoke
love and
good works.
Hebrews 10:24
Statistics estimate that around twenty percent
of the state’s population is what is termed “food
insecure.” In the child population, one in four are
affected. Stacey cannot help but think about that
when she looks around her kindergarten classroom.
Breeylnn agrees. “Some people may be nervous to
participate in helping at a young age, but my mom
has shown me that you can help people regardless.
It’s made me much more grateful for what I have,
and I’m so happy every time I see that people are
using the Blessing Box. It’s made my faith deeper
for sure,” she shares, “as I’ve watched God work,
and I’ve prayed for the people using the box.
You wouldn’t have guessed it, but that box brings
people a lot of light.”
To learn more about Flowood’s Blessing Box,
please follow their Facebook or Instagram pages
“Blessing Box Flowood.”
If you feel led to help, you can access the
Amazon wish list on their page or send them
a Facebook message or e-mail. Most of all,
please spread the word!
Hometown RANKIN • 59