Donovan Damron of Carter County designed and built this blessing box to provide non-perishable food and essential personal care items for people in need for his Rogers Scholars community service project.
2018 Rogers Scholar Donovan Damron is lending a helping hand to people in need in Carter County.
The East Carter High School student designed and built a community blessing box, which serves as a food pantry, for his Rogers Scholars community service project.
The blessing box, filled with donated non-perishable food and essential personal care items, is conveniently located on the property of Oak Grove Church of Christ at the intersection of Damron Branch and Canoe Run Road.
“This project really means a lot to me, because I want to help the people in my community,” said Damron, a graduate of The Center for Rural Development’s Rogers Scholars program. “There are people who may not have food to put on their table, but they are reluctant to speak up and ask for help. That is why I choose this project. It provides for the needs of people in an anonymous fashion, and it provides an opportunity for people to help others in their community.”
The blessing box, built by Damron and his father, is a free-standing storage cabinet with thick plexiglass doors. The words, “Take What You Want, Leave What You Can,” are clearly labeled on the doors.
“I am glad to see that Donovan has placed a blessing box on Damron Branch, because I know that there are people in this community who really need help,” said Michael “Mic” Marshall, a local resident. “This is a great way for those needs to be met.”
Damron is the son of Donald M. Damron and Rhonda Damron of Grayson.