'Blessing Boxes' provide food, supplies for many Oklahomans

After seeing a need in both Moore and Duncan for “Blessing Boxes” – emergency food pantries filled with non-perishable food items and toiletries – Sen. Darrell Weaver, his wife, Kim, and family decided to bless both towns with a box to meet the immediate needs of the communities.

But it didn’t take long for two Blessing Boxes to turn into a nonprofit connecting the boxes across Oklahoma.

“While researching the Blessing Boxes, it didn’t surprise us that there were many of them across our great state,” Kim Weaver said. “However, there wasn’t a statewide approach to organize the boxes. So, my husband and I founded the nonprofit, Oklahoma Blessing Boxes, in May 2020.”

The organization serves as a network to connect communities in need of a box with the resources to get one. It also directs those in need of emergency food, toiletries and hope to boxes in their area and raises money for the boxes and other community events to help those in need.

“We all know in Oklahoma we’re giving people, and the Blessing Boxes really stoke that even more because nobody wants anyone to be hungry,” said Darrell Weaver, R-Moore. “We’ve got both people in need and people who want to serve. Kim and I both agreed many years ago that this is about service. You’ve got a window of time in your life where you can serve, whether it be in a capacity like I’m serving, or like my wife as a doctor, but at the end of the day it’s what you do for people.

“We just don’t like the thought of anyone being hungry, and Kim doesn’t do anything halfway, so we started talking about it and the Blessing Boxes really took off. We put some organization to it, which really helped expand it in all parts of the state.”

Since the nonprofit was formed in May 2020, 25 more Blessing Boxes have been added, bringing the statewide total to 118 boxes.

In addition to emergency hunger relief, Oklahoma Blessing Boxes expanded its reach during the holiday season by hosting a Baskets of Blessings drive for the Thanksgiving holiday in Duncan, Marlow and Moore. The drive-through food distribution event blessed 174 families with a laundry basket full of food items for a Thanksgiving meal, including a turkey.

“Hunger has no face,” Kim Weaver said. “When people fall on hard times, we need to be sure that we’re there to pick them up. As a community, that’s what we do. We love on each other and pick them up during that chapter. We need to fill that gap, and that’s our goal – to fill that gap of food insecurity in Oklahoma.”

Communities interested in hosting a Blessing Box can find out more about the program and request a box at www.oklahomablessingboxes.org. Monetary donations are also accepted on the site.