Every year for Lent, Madelyn Fonagy collects money from family members and friends – typically about $150 – and donates it to the food pantry at her church, St. Thomas the Apostle in Vienna.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people started losing their jobs, Madelyn, 13, of Brookfield, got her head together with her twin sister, Makenzie, and her grandma, Sue Fonagy, and decided she wanted to do something more lasting. That’s why they created the Blessing Box that is posted in front of the dental office of her grandfather, Dr. Joseph Fonagy, at 7159 Warren Sharon Road, Brookfield.
The box contains nonperishable food items. People can come up and take what they need, or help replenish the goods.
“Every township or whatever, it needs help a little bit,” Madelyn said. “Maybe some people don’t have food or money. They can always come to here. Once they regain that money or get a couple dollars, they can always replenish this.”
The box had been up for about a month at the time of the July 22 interview.
“Once we get the word out, I think it will be really good for our community,” Madelyn said.
“What’s nice about the Blessing Box is that it is all anonymous,” Sue Fonagy said. “We don’t know who takes. We don’t know who gives, unless they tell us, which is different from a food pantry, where you have to show up and people know. Some people may be embarrassed. Maybe, they need something this week but next month they won’t. That’s what’s nice about this: they can come, at their convenience, in the middle of the night or whenever; take or give. It’s all anonymous and nobody needs to be shy. We’ve all needed a blessing now and then in our life.”
The girls, who attend Hubbard schools, said they check the box about every day and have noticed that many people are coming at night, both to take and to give.
“If it gets low, either we reach out to people or we restock it ourselves,” Madelyn said. “It’s not a lot, but it’s a little bit.”
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