Dyer church provides blessing box

Dyer youth ministers Stacie and Jayson Fernandez have experience helping those in need.

The couple, who served at Dyer Cumberland Presbyterian Church, oversee Two Or More, a homeless ministry consisting of a travel trailer loaded down with personal care items, flashlights, non-perishable food, and more. They travel to Jackson, Memphis, and out of state to homeless shelters and other gathering places to hand out the supplies and bag lunches.

When Gibson County schools dismissed in March to slow the spread of COVID-19, Stacie and Jayson knew their local community needed their services.

Stacie grabbed a box off of her back porch, took it to their church, and let her children fill it up with non-perishable foods, just to see how things would go. When they checked it the very next day, it was empty.

Knowing they had to keep the box replenished, the couple went to their church members for help. The blessing box is continuously emptied and refilled as community members take what they need and give what they can.

“We are getting two to three phone calls a day,” Stacie said. “We are also delivering to the elderly who cannot get out to get to the grocery store or cannot get to the box.”

Dyer Cumberland Presbyterian Church not only helps with the new blessing box, they also donate food to Christian Endeavor, which is a mission store located in Dyer. The store sells gently used clothing and toys and also gives away free groceries to families in need once a month.

The church also donates items to Dyer School for the Backpack Program, which provides easy-to-prepare meals and snacks for children in food insecure homes to have on weekends.

“We definitely have a need in own community,” Stacie said. “I want to continue the box even after the virus is over. Thank you to everyone who has given in some way.”

The blessing box is located on the front steps of Dyer Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It is open all day every day for anyone to come and donate or take. It has non-perishable foods, such as cereal, canned goods, dry beans, baby formula, as well as diapers and some personal care items.

Deposit your donations in the box any time you like or to make a monetary donation, use Cash App, which is a mobile payment service. Call Stacie at 731-431-4163 for more information.