“When you fill another’s bucket, your bucket gets filled.”
—Jessica Pavelko
It’s a simple concept really. When you give to others, somehow you receive more. You get more than you give. Isn’t it funny how the world works that way?
Take the concept of Blessing Boxes. They have been popping up all over the country for years. A Blessing Box is a small, often homemade structure in which people leave donated goods for others to pick up anonymously. Typically located in a common area, people fill them with items that will help those in need, such as clothing, shoes, gloves, nonperishable food, toiletries, or other necessities.
Lancaster-area resident Jessica Pavelko loved the idea of Blessing Boxes for the students of the School District of Lancaster. Her husband, Matt, is a music teacher at Carter and MacRae Elementary School in Lancaster city, and she saw a definite need for basic items for the schoolchildren there. However, she passionately believed that it would not be enough to simply bless a student with a new coat or new school supplies. Rather, in her eyes, it would be just as important to also bless that student with the opportunity to give to someone else in need. This is what she wanted for the children her husband teaches, and also for students in other schools within the School District of Lancaster. That’s when she reached out to Willow Valley Communities and our North community woodshop. Would they be willing, she asked, to construct Blessing Boxes that could be distributed throughout the district? And, would Willow Valley Communities residents help with initial donations to get the Blessing Boxes filled?
The answer, of course, was a resounding “Yes!” and the members of the North woodshop quickly got to work. Willow Valley Communities resident and North woodshop vice chairman Bob Goodhart coordinated the effort, along with fellow resident woodshop member Jim Hockenberry, who really spearheaded the logistics of the building project. The other resident members of the woodshop worked together to complete a total of 16 boxes that are being distributed throughout the schools. Willow Valley Communities sponsored the cost of the building supplies. In addition to items like clothing, school supplies, and toiletries, handwritten notes of love and encouragement are also included in the boxes for children to take. The Blessing Boxes are set up in common areas within the schools so that they can be accessed easily by students. They take what they need and give what they can.
Jessica Pavelko was incredibly humbled and touched by the effort of the members of Willow Valley Communities’ North woodshop. She recently presented the members with a plaque to thank them for their work. The plaque will hang in a special spot in the woodshop, where it will be a reminder to all that there are blessings in giving as well as in receiving.
Dr. Damaris Rau, superintendent of the School District of Lancaster, commented during the presentation, “We are so appreciative of the beautiful Blessing Boxes that were carefully crafted by Willow Valley Communities residents in their woodshop. Our students will benefit both from the supplies offered and from filling the boxes to help their peers. A special thank you to Matt and Jessica Pavelko for creating this opportunity for our families.”
At the conclusion of the project, woodshop vice chairman Bob Goodhart said, “The North woodshop likes to be able to make contributions for Willow Valley Communities, as well as to the greater Lancaster community beyond us. Working with the School District of Lancaster was the perfect fit. It’s always inspiring to be around the children and do something beneficial for them.”
