Blessing Box, Little Free Library, Read & Seed, and Greenway art boxes demonstrate the power of sharing
story & photos by Joan Perry | Contributing Writer
Walking past colorful boxes placed in front of neighborhood homes for the sole purpose of sharing goods puts a happy spring in my step, but one on Anita Drive stopped me in my tracks with a smile.
It was a regular Little Free Library, with books to take or leave, but this one included a mini box decorated with colorful stickers and mounted at child’s height. The unit has solar lighting, a bowl of water for passing dogs and chairs for visiting.
The next time I passed by, a voice called out a friendly greeting and I met James and Joye Wall, the hosts of the boxes. The Magnolia subdivision funded the initial box with a grant and son James was soon recruited to expand the project. The children’s library has been a big hit. Joye said children come by daily to borrow books and she rarely needs to stock it herself.
Another box I pass on my walking route is the colorful one at Magnolia Park & Community Garden. Since I got lucky with one, I stopped to check it out and sure enough, it was a speciality box as well. The box is tagged Read & Seed Hub. The top holds reading material of all types and the addition on the bottom is for exchanging seed packets.
Garden volunteers Joe and Marlene Rotter were in the garden watering. Joe built the box and they described it as pretty self-sufficient with people taking and leaving items. The seed box is busiest in the spring. Marlene and Joe have been volunteering for the Charleston Parks Conservancy, Marlene for eight years and Joe for more than five. Joe waters the garden while Marlene gardens and harvests the vegetables grown for donation.
Nancy Wilson works in the medical staff office at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital. She brainstormed with coworkers about ways to support patients and community members during the pandemic and they had a Blessing Box built for the hospital campus. Pictured are Nancy Wilson, Patty Clark, and Reverend Leon Maxwell who came out to offer a blessing for the opening of the box. The hospital campus proved to be a great location with a convenient place to pull in to donate while offering privacy to people stopping to get food. It has been very popular.
The hospital staff members have been supportive, but it’s a big box and Nancy welcomes community support to keep it stocked.
I was happily surprised last year to find a series of three Art Boxes on the West Ashley Greenway. They are part of a Piccolo Spoleto Public Art Exhibition. The current installation is by artist Vassiliki Falkehag, titled Future Offerings.
Most boxes are built and installed by generous community members and the number of them speaks well of the generosity of our West Ashley neighbors. Little Free Libraries (littlefreelibrary.org) and Blessing Boxes (ttps://www.chsblessingbox.org/) can be listed on registry pages so people can easily find them.
I loved this quote from the Charleston Blessing Box website: We believe that anonymous giving and spreading kindness one small act at a time will bring about the change we want to see in our community.
Stay healthy my friends and wave at me as I wander.
For upcoming columns, let me know if you have the coolest garden shed in the neighborhood or a collection of interesting items of any kind to feature. westashleywanderer@gmail.com.
