By Rachel Scofield
November 30, 2022

Peace United Methodist Church (235 Diley Road) has installed a free pantry in time to provide holiday assistance.

Per the The Columbus Blessing Boxes Project (CBBP website, “Blessing Boxes are outdoor, publicly-located cabinets that allow for people to anonymously donate items to bless others in need. These boxes can include: non-perishable food items, basic toiletries, baby supplies, pet food, or anything else that might be considered a blessing to someone in need.

Our only rule – take what you need; leave what you can.”

The addition of the Peace pantry brings the number of Blessing Boxes in the Pickerington-Violet Township area to seven: St. Andrews Episcopal Church (8630 Refugee Rd), Pickerington KinderCare (1545 Cross Creeks Blvd), Legacy Church (859 Windmiller Dr), Epiphany Lutheran Church (268 Hill Rd N), 7692 Busey Rd, and the 7300 block of Basil Western Rd. There is also a box located at Tussing Elementary (7117 Tussing Rd), which is managed by a different organization. A complete map of central Ohio box sites can be found on the Columbus Blessing Box website website.

Gretchen Davis started Columbus Blessing Boxes Project in January of 2018.

“By purchasing some used cabinets on Craigslist, and with some willing friends and family, we turned them into the first Blessing Boxes.,” Davis said. “To this day, we continue our project of helping to fight food insecurity by serving those in need in more than 95 areas of the Columbus community!“

Free Pantries in the Pickerington Area