Hopefully social services, food pantries, utilities assistance programs and other safety nets are working to provide for families with large or long-term financial crises.

But what about when you have a smaller need – like the ingredients for one meal before you get your next paycheck or even a box of spaghetti to go with the jar of sauce in your pantry – and you’re 20 miles from the nearest grocery store?

Thanks to a local family and their church Bible study group, Cashion residents might find what they need inside their brand new Blessing Box.

The box, a handmade, free-standing cabinet that looks very much like a home pantry, is now installed near the Cashion Town Hall with a cheerful motto stylishly stenciled on its glass front “Take What You Need, Leave What You Can – Be Blessed.”

“We learned about the blessing box idea from one of our high school friends who lives in Kansas,” Amy Mc-Cracken said. “She has set up several in neighboring small communities.”

Amy and her husband, Jesse McCracken, have lived in Cashion since 2005 and thought a box in their community would be ideal, not just for those who lack funds for an immediate food purchase, but maybe for those who just need an item or two to finish a meal and don’t want to make the trip to the grocery store.

“Cashion has several families in tough financial situations who could benefit from services such as this but it’s also there for anyone to use,” she said.

“Without a grocery store it is sometimes difficult to drive 20 minutes to a neighboring town to grab the item you forgot or ran out of while cooking dinner.”

For instance, if you made it home with two jars of pasta sauce but no spaghetti, stop by the blessing box and trade one of the jars for a box of noodles, if they’re available.

“If you can swap the item you take with something you have excess of, that’s great, but if you can’t replace it, don’t worry,” she said.

Mrs. McCracken said she and her husband pitched the blessing box notion to their small study group at Westwood Church of Christ in Edmond “and everyone thought it was a wonderful idea.”

Next, Jesse McCracken attended a Cashion Town Board meeting to explain the idea and get approval to place the box on town property.

“They were very much on board,” McCracken said.

Members of the church group helped build, paint, stencil and install the box and the McCrackens’ twin daughters, Sierra and Addison, asked for donations to stock the box from their sixth grade classmates in lieu of presents for their birthday.

Younger daughter Kaitlin, a second grader, also likes to help keep the shelves filled.

Anyone is encouraged to add items to the box and the McCrackens said seasonal nonfood items like gloves, batteries, sunscreen and lip balm are also welcome.

“Our group had talked about doing additional boxes in other smaller communities where some of our church members live or outlying parts of Edmond we set as of right now,” Mrs. McCracken said.

‘Our hope is that this is embraced and becomes an important part of our community.”