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Pataskala Blessing Boxes by Jasmine
To mark her 12th birthday and bat mitzvah, Jasmine Stroh embarked on a project to create charitable pantries to be positioned around the Pataskala area. She pitched her proposal to the Pataskala Building and Grounds Committee, which in turn passed the proposal on to city council, where it recently received unanimous approval. Her plan for cabinets to be filled with canned and other non-perishable food items – “blessing boxes” – as some call them, relates directly to passages she read from the Torah during her August bat mitzvah.
One of the readings states when you harvest your crops, you leave some for the poor, the widows, and the orphans.
That brought the idea of building the blessing boxes.
The concept of the blessing box is that those who required assistance, “Take what you need (then) bring when you can.”
A GoFundMe page to raise money for the boxes had collected over $2000 to fund construction. (Waste Management of Newark donated $1,000 toward the project).
As weather permits, Stroh, who dreams of one day owning her own bakery, hopes to provide some baked goods through the blessing boxes, as well.
Jasmine currently attends Ohio Connections Academy High School and was inducted into the National Honor Society.
She also attends COTC as a part-time college student and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
She is the proud owner of "Delish Delights by Jasmine", a gluten free cottage foods bakery & works part time at Chick-Fil-A
Jasmine's other charitable endeavors have included quilting for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, and performing peer tutoring and volunteering with the Pataskala Community Outreach.
The mission of the blessing boxes is to feed all, anonymously and without judgement. It is a collective effort of the community to upkeep and stock the boxes. We ask that you use common sense in terms of what is placed in the boxes at different times of year.
NEVER place meats & foods that can spoil easily!
These are the items most commonly donated and used to stock the Blessing Box:
Canned food
Boxed foods
Baby formula
Juices
Pasta
Breakfast items
Socks
Mittens
Hand warmers
Crackers
Toilet paper
Non-perishable foods
Bottled water
Small snacks
Toiletries, including hand soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste
Baby wipes
Pataskala student recognized for community service
Jasmine Stroh of Pataskala was among the nine Ohio Connections Academy (OCA) students who recently received a Prudential Spirit of Community Award in recognition of their volunteer service to the community.
Stroh, an eighth-grade student at the online public charter school, built and maintains “Blessing Boxes”: small cabinets filled with food, toiletries and other items for individuals in the community who are struggling. In recognition of her efforts, Stroh received a Certificate of Achievement as one of the school’s top volunteers for 2019.
“The faculty, staff and members of the board at Ohio Connections Academy are so proud of these students and the time and effort they have given to make a positive impact on their communities,” Marie Hanna, OCA Superintendent said. “Each of the students have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and a commitment to making our world a better place — they truly deserve this recognition.”
The Prudential Spirit of Community Award program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to honor middle school and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level.
The program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service and is supported by Girl Scouts of the USA, National 4-H Council, American Red Cross, YMCA, HandsOn Network (generated by the Points of Light Institute) and many other national youth, service and educational organizations. Learn more about the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at http://spirit.prudential.com.