LOUDON, Tenn. — In late October, a couple of cousins decided to help people in their community in a small way. But how?
They turned to social media to make The Little Blessing box possible.
The way to The Little Blessing Box is up the steps to the second floor of a storage shed.
It's a steep climb for a lofty goal: helping the needy in rural Loudon County.
"We've always wanted to help our community and bring it together and so I said let's make a Facebook page. And it blew up," Jessica Todd said.
Two cousins, Facebook Live and some items bought in bulk.
Jessica Todd and Samantha Youngs thought they would put together some gift boxes for the holidays.
Samantha Youngs said, "It's something important to me that I've always wanted to do. Just make an impact in the community. Find a way to give back to the community that has helped me so much."
"It's really coming from the bottom of our hearts why we want to help people. We come from a low income family. We had to have help from local organizations. And when we were in church, we didn't have Christmas or nothing, they would help us." Jessica said.
They are in the process of becoming an official non-profit. For now, they are keeping careful records, by hand.
Volunteers have reached out. Businesses have donated items. Individuals have dropped by with supplies.
"It makes me emotional because I didn't think the community would be so involved in something. I thought it would be small. I didn't know it to blow up like this," she said.
Social media connects them to those willing to give and those needing to receive.
They hope to distribute boxes before Thanksgiving.
Samantha said, "People don't just need help during the holidays. It's every day. So it would be nice to be able to do this year round."
They are also open to a barter system. For example, if you will donate baby food then they will mow your lawn.