Why 1,500 Blessing Boxes are spread through Charlotte
At this moment, there are 1,500 Blessing Boxes spread through Charlotte. I have three of them.
The brown, cardboard boxes are small — about the length of my forearm — and each one contains an instructions pamphlet, three magnetic bumper stickers, a pen and 100 strips of brightly colored paper.
On one side of the boxes is a message: “Every day is an opportunity to reach out to those around you with loving kindness. Change one life!”
Here’s how it works: The holder of each box (which can be acquired here for free) is meant to complete 100 acts of kindness or compassion (solo or with a group) and write each one down on a paper strip with the enclosed pen, then drop it back into the box through a little slit on the top. The holder of the box is also asked to place the bumper sticker on his or her car, to increase visibility of The Blessing Box campaign in the community. The campaign is presented by About Face Charlotte, an organization with a mission to share the stories of our community’s “invisible” neighbors living in poverty.
I picked up my boxes at the McColl Center a couple of weeks ago, when the first wave of 1,500 was being distributed. And I (and you, if you choose to participate) am supposed to mail the boxes back to About Face by March 31, after which a public installation called the Wall of Compassion will be built with the boxes. As the final phase of the project, various works of art will be crafted with the paper strips.
Do the math: That’s 150,000 acts of kindness over the next two months, and it’s no arbitrary number. According to the organizers, nearly 150,000 people live below the poverty line in Charlotte. The Blessing Box campaign is meant to honor those people, and also serve as a call to action for Charlotteans.
And as I sit here at my desk next to a pile of bright, blank strips of paper, I’ve been pondering this concept of action. I’ve only filled out a few small slips of paper, and my actions are even smaller. Right now, my scribbles point to basic, kind actions: Smiling at a stranger. Complimenting a coworker on an article. Listening to a friend who needed to vent.
It’s a start. But I’m curious to see how this evolves. Will I and others be prompted to start seeking out ways to be kind? Big ways?
One box-holder, Amanda Taylor, explained in a video how she created a stash of “blessing bags” to give away to people she encounters. The bags carry kind messages, a water bottle, dollar bills and a snack.
This fresh wave of kindness is only just beginning. Boxes have been sent to organizations including Carolinas HealthCare CMC Medical ICU, Eastover Elementary and Charlotte Ballet. And this week, the organizers ordered 1,500 additional boxes to distribute.
I’m definitely excited to see what public art works and events spin off in the community with all of these strips of paper this spring. The organizers promised to keep me in the loop.
But I’m even more intrigued to see — will this create a kinder Charlotte?
Photo: Katie Toussaint
This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Why 1,500 Blessing Boxes are spread through Charlotte."