Join the Box Project
Enrich the lives of a family in poverty.
If you’re ready for a bigger commitment, sponsor a family with The Box Project. You’ll enrich the lives of a family living in poverty in rural America by establishing a meaningful, long-term relationship and providing needed supplies.
Possible recipients
The Box Project locates families in areas of rural poverty in the Mississippi Delta.
What you’ll need
A willingness to make a long-term commitment to the program and the family you choose to sponsor.
Financial resources to send a box of items to your recipient. Items vary from family to family and month to month, but typically include household supplies, food, school supplies, clothing or seasonal items.
A $50 annual membership fee.
Instructions
Visit The Box Project website to read about family sponsorship and to sign up.
After you are matched with a family, exchange letters and get to know them and their needs better.
Send a box of supplies once a month. Ask what is needed, or consider these suggestions.
In addition, sponsors are encouraged to learn as much as they can about the recipient, the region and available services – in short, to become mentors. Education is a core value of the program, and the hope is that sponsors will encourage and support family members in seeking higher education and better jobs, and ultimately attaining a higher level of self sufficiency.
Reflections
What would it feel like to be poor and not have enough to eat?
Think of the things you use every day without thinking about it – toilet paper, soap, towels, school supplies. Can you think of other things you take for granted? How would you manage without these things?
Think of other things you have but don’t necessarily need to in order to survive – sports equipment, different kinds of shoes for dance classes or sports, electronic games, art and crafts supplies, etc. How would life be if you didn’t have these things?
What items should we include in our boxes for the people we are helping?
Resources
Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen (Puffin, 1983). Ages 5 and up. A small boy, not allowed to have a dog because times are tight, finds a starving kitten in a trash can on the same day his father loses his job.
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts (Candlewick, 2009). Ages 5 and up. This book, about a boy who wants to fit in by owning a pair of trendy shoes, contains a powerful lesson about differentiating between wants and needs.
Take it further
If sponsoring a family is too big a commitment at this time, consider sponsoring a family just for the holidays. Or get a group together to sponsor a family and share the work and expense. Gather monthly to pack the box and discuss different ways to improve their lives.
Still looking?
Check out these projects for more ideas.