Online attacks cited as reason for decision
By Barb Pert Templeton
“Take what you need, leave what you can.”
It’s a catchy tag line and has been shared around the City of Algonac over the last several years as a team of volunteers collected food donations from the community for their Algonac/Clay Blessing Boxes project.
Now that group of volunteers had announced they will be dissolving the non-profit organization, Algonac/Clay Blessing Boxes, although the boxes will remain in place in the community. Organizer Amy Solgot-Amiels stated in an April 8 post on the Facebook page, Algonac/Clay Blessing Boxes, that online criticism just became too heavy for the volunteers so they quit. In addition, Amiels will be removing the Blessing Box from her business and she will no longer store food at her place.
When contacted by phone on April 17 Amiels, the owner of Amiels Enterprises in Clay Township, explained that when she started working on the project several years ago her husband, Chris Amiels, built all the boxes for the food and she would spend $400 to $500 a month on groceries to fill them.
Initially, the community met the project with open arms and Amiels soon filed for and got non-profit status for the program which meant she could take-in monetary donations to purchase the food. A pair of dedicated volunteers would go around and fill the boxes at least twice a week.
Over the last few months on a private Facebook page that shares what’s going on in and around the area posters were attacking the Blessing Box volunteers, according to Amiels.
She said many comments stated that the boxes were always empty and some even targeted the specific volunteers.
“No volunteers should ever be criticized when they are taking time out of their busy lives to help,” Amiels said. “People also wrote that we weren’t filling the boxes often enough but we
started to see people driving and following us and when the boxes were filled, they would just pullup and empty them.”
She said the food provided in the boxes isn’t meant to replace someone’s grocery shopping but rather to serve as a supplement.
There’s even a dog Blessing Box at the Algonac Dog Park where people are encouraged to donate new or used pet items, food, treats, collars, leashes, sweaters or coats, toys, and/or no longer needed training supplies.
As Amiels closes down the Facebook page and cancels the non-profit status for the project she is happy to report that administrators and teachers with Algonac Junior/Senior High School have agreed to take over running the Blessing Boxes. She has agreed to turn over all monetary and food donations to the new group and has offered to still do some shopping for box items if called upon to do so.
Amiels is disheartened by the turn of events that prompted her pulling away from the project.
“I love my community, I’ve lived in Algonac all my life and I always want to help,” she said. “But I work full-time, I’m taking care of my family and I’m involved in lots of other groups around here so I just have to step away from this now.”
The Blessing Boxes are located at Woodside Bible Church, Whispy Gypsy, Clay Township Park and there’s a pet box at the Dog Park in Algonac. There’s also a Blessing Box on Harsens Island that is operated by the residents there.
1 comment
I just want to say the stuff being said out there about the blessing boxes are not true. These boxes were filled regularly and so was the one at Whispy Gypsy. The people filling them did not announce themselves. Kroger gave $1000.00 and the rest in gift cards. $1000.00 in gift cards were given to the owner of Whispy Gypsy when the nonprofit was shut down. I have yet to see any food in that blessing box since. I wish people would get their facts straight before they start complaining.