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“I had seen them in other communities,” she said, “and on Pinterest and Facebook.” With the help of John Morgan, a friend and neighbor, Angela built the box with metal donated by MWS Metal Work in Boyd. Another friend, Debbie Fowler, from Haslet, designed the sign. After looking for a location, the Niestemskis realized they had the perfect site right at the end of their driveway. “It’s a school bus stop, so it’s a natural gathering place,” said Angela. She and her friends placed the box to the side of the road where cars can pull off to access it. “We prayed over it and put six items in it, and that’s how it started.”
Since its erection, neighbors say that the Blessing Box has never been empty. “Actually, more people have been dropping off than have been taking,” John Morgan reported. Due to the overflow that has sometimes accumulated, the Niestemskis have been able to create a surplus box to refill the main box in scarcer times. Any who can are welcome to donate non-perishable food and toiletry items, and those in need are free to help themselves to what is there.
Mrs. Niestemski feels that one of the best results to come from the box is the ownership the community has taken. Since it was placed, neighbors have added nails to hang bags on it, and Thaddeus and Angela installed a Plexiglas window to better protect items inside. The reach of the box has even carried beyond New Fairview. “Our postal lady said ours inspired her so much that she and her husband put one in at their house in Haslet,” Angela said. “So now it’s become not how we are blessing the community, but it’s how the community is blessing each other.”
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