I've been a Box Project Participant for almost 5 years. I am currently sponsoring my second family. I find this program rewarding and am putting this out here for your consideration. I send a box filled with ordinary things....School supplies in August, Thanksgiving goodies in November, cleaning supplies whenever...and we write letters back and forth about our dreams and life. The differences between us...the language...the education level can be shocking, but you manage to find common ground, particularly with the children. I think you would love it too.
The Box Project is currently participating in The America's Giving Challenge. The top 4 charities will recieve a $50,000 grant to continue their work.
This is where The Box Project stands in the America’s Giving Challenge.
As of today the top four charities are:
The 11th Hour Animal Rescue Inc. 1288 donations
A Place to Bark Inc. 1161 donations
Fanconi Anemia Research Fund Inc. 1037 donations
Bubel Aiken Foundation Inc. 691 donations
Our current total:
The Box Project 35 donations
I've enclosed The Box Project History here for your consideration:
Since 1962, The Box Project has been working to help people living in America's worst areas of rural poverty. We seek to alleviate the effects of poverty and increase mutual understanding through direct, people-to-people assistance. With the help of our referring agencies, we seek families who want to better themselves... by getting an education or better job skills, and by working on ways to improve their lives. Sponsors, in concert with The Box Project, provide support for the growth and success of recipient families, with the goal of alleviating suffering and increasing self sufficiency. The Box Project, Inc. is a national, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and all contributions to the organization are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Through our first and most successful program, Family Match, we match sponsors with individuals and families living in rural poverty in America. The sponsors develop long-term friendships, providing encouragement, advice, and boxes of needed supplies about once a month. Sponsors communicate and send letters and boxes directly to the families they are matched with, enhancing the one-to-one experience. As the families come to know each other, trust and friendships grow--providing a positive and valuable experience for both the recipient and the sponsor.
After the success of the Family Match program, we expanded to include additional volunteer match options to help such as: Holiday Match, a match only through the winter holidays; and Community Center Match, which matches a sponsor or sponsor group (such as a church group, or employee group) with a rural community center in one of our recipient areas.
Additional programs funded through donations include our Emergency Fund which provides limited emergency financial assistance to recipient families in times of extraordinary need, a Back to School Fund and an Educational Award Fund providing financial assistance to encourage students to pursue higher education as a means to break the cycle of poverty.
Acquiring an education is one of The Box Project's core values. We firmly believe that education is one of the keys to increasing self-sufficiency and breaking the cycle of poverty. The goal of this steadfast commitment is to help remove some of the barriers to education and make a significant impact on the areas of rural poverty that we serve. Visit our programs section to find out more about our services.
As you can see, The Box Project has a long way to got, but there is still time for them to climb to the top of the heap and qualify for that $50,000 grant. Use this link if you are so inclined to make a donation. Do your research and decide for yourself. If you send out this link: http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?BadgeId=109561 to friends and family and then they send it to their friends and family, we're spreading the word about The Box Project to thousands of people across the country. Remember the shampoo commercial that said “I told two friends, and they told two friends and so on and so on”? Word of mouth is the best way for people to learn about what The Box Project does for people in poverty.
The Box Project sent this offer to well over 1200 of their current supporters and friends and families. Think about it…if every one of those people donated just $10.00, they would be in one of the top four slots with a clear shot at one of the $50,000 grants – money they could use to make a huge difference for families and individuals living in rural poverty in America.
Just Food For Thought....
