behind the scenes at BOX-IT
by Sylv, Health and Wellbeing Coordinator (and one of the BOX-IT delivery team)
So, here we are. It’s 2021, and ...
It’s not where we hoped we’d be, but our community, our staff and our volunteers are all still committed: hard at work to source fresh ingredients, create delish recipes and deliver the BOX-IT meal kits straight to the doors of those we are here to support.
And we have to admit that it has been the stories and the feedback from those who we see on our BOX-IT delivery rounds that have really kept us all going. We’ve been bowled over by the generosity, the reciprocal food parcels and warm wishes of every person involved in the project.
As you can probably imagine, the delivery team are the BOX-IT eyes and the ears on the ground, and they report back the fun and funny delivery moments to the rest of the team.
Here are some stories to tell from 2021 so far:
on delivery, Sylv received a handmade cross-stitched card, that had on it the inscription that read: “Dear Sylvia and Man in the Van AKA The Angels from the South”, which made us all chuckle: “thank you for making my world a copable and happier place”, were her kind words inside;
after a little bit of festive period fundraising in December 2020, the BOX-IT team took gift requests for ‘happy-end-of-year’ presents. These gifts were sent out with the food deliveries in the last week of the year. Ensuring that everyone had a say in what they received was important to the team, who made sure to organise and coordinate the festive gifting with care.
An assortment of wrapped goodies were sent out in the van: including board games, art materials and books. One member of the BOX-IT community let us know that he had no heating in his flat and we’ve had to watch him put on extra layers as the cold weather came in. He asked for a small heater and we managed to get it to him before Christmas; he was so happy to receive it and couldn’t wait to try it out.
This week I asked him how he got on over the holiday – he said that his boiler had been out since the first lockdown and due to rent arrears the repair will not be done. “Boiling kettles to wash and being so cold has been hard, but having my little heater is a real blessing, thank you so much”;
probably the nicest part of the deliveries this week was seeing the children waiting on the doorstep; all so excited to see their New Year parcels with their BOX-IT meals;
we’ve found that some of our beneficiaries, if they can, want to give back. And we’re here for that; all part of that big word ‘Dignity’ – from donations waved at us from the doorstep to food being given to us (ideal to snack on while we go about our deliveries!). One mum and daughter baked us tea cakes each month, which is ridiculously sweet of them! We’re possibly becoming a little bit too used to this pampering…and I’ve been asked not to mention this lady’s name, but her hot soup is ready to go when we deliver and she will not be talked out of feeding us!
The joy that comes from cooking and sharing something homemade it is a multi-way street here at the BOX-IT project. We love to hear stories of food and life via our BOX-IT deliveries; and we continue to stay motivated and connected to our community.
if you’d like more information about BOX-IT or think you’d be able to help, have a look and get in contact on our project page.