Amanda Williams

Amanda Williams, Banking Center Manager of our Brownsburg, Ind. branch, knows the power of speaking your dreams aloud. In 2016, she told a customer that she wished there was a food pantry equivalent to the little free libraries that kept cropping up around her hometown of Brownsburg, Ind.

“I told her that I loved the little libraries, but they can’t sustain life – and wouldn’t it be nice if there was something like that for basic needs like food?” She recalled.

The customer, a member of the local Center of Influence, went on to share the conversation with Brownsburg’s mover and shaker, Donna Stout.

“Donna is like the person in the community you talk to if you want something to get done,” Amanda explained. “Within two weeks, I found myself as one of the co-founders of our non-profit, Brownsburg Blessing Boxes, and the first box was built and in the ground.”

That was in December of 2018. Now, six Blessing Boxes are serving the town of Brownsburg. The concept is similar to a little free library: people can take items they need or leave pantry extras for their neighbors. Leaning on connections she built through First Merchants Bank, Amanda has each box sponsored and built by a local business and then “hosted” by a second local business – all in convenient locations around the community.

Amanda has a coordinated team of dedicated volunteers who patrol and check for expired items, redistribute products as needed, and collect larger volume contributions at permanent donation drop-off locations. In the nearly 6 years the boxes have been up and running, Amanda has seen them make a real impact.

“My town is a little suburban, so I think people forget that poverty can still exist here – everywhere has poverty and everywhere has needs,” she explained.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity of a service like the Blessing Boxes became very apparent.

“Food and groceries were hard to come by, and so many people were out of work,” Amanda recalled. “Everyone was turning to us for help, and we were trying to fill the needs of a community that really needed that service at that time.”

But the Blessing Boxes were also struggling.

“With stores out of food and shortages, it was just hard to fill the boxes,” she shared. “I made a post on Facebook, asking people to be patient with us – and the next day, I came to the bank and the front steps were covered in food donations. We never had trouble keeping the boxes full for the remainder of the pandemic.”

And that, Amanda says, is the true heart and soul of the Blessings Boxes.

“It’s not me – it’s the community,” she explained. “They’re the ones who donate food, they’re the ones who are volunteering to help run it, they are the businesses who agree to build and host the boxes. They are the reason these boxes are successful and can have such an impact. I may be the person who started it, but this community is who runs it.”

That also includes those the boxes have helped. Amanda shared the story of a family that depended on the blessing boxes during 2020.

“The husband was a journeyman who was laid off, and the wife was just a few months away from finishing nursing school,” Amanda said. “What do you do in that situation? You have five kids – you don’t want to quit school because, in 3-4 months, you’ll have enough money and a good job to support your family.”

The family turned to the Blessing Boxes. Thanks to the groceries and pantry staples they received, they were able to hold on until their financial situation improved.

“That family now gives back every month from their paychecks,” Amanda said. “The mom and her kids go around and fill our boxes each and every month. And they’ve been doing that for three and a half years.”

“It’s absolutely amazing to me the impact these boxes have had on the community,” she added.

With six boxes serving Brownsburg, Amanda said she feels Brownsburg Blessing Boxes is at capacity.

“I don’t want to put any more on our volunteers, and the locations we have are accessible throughout the community – I don’t feel the need to grow larger right now,” she explained.

But there is still a need. Other neighborhoods and towns have been inspired by the Brownsburg Blessing Boxes story and often reach out. Amanda is always happy to help them – even helping launch boxes as far away as Texas – but Brownsburg Blessing Boxes doesn’t manage those locations.

“It’s fulfilling to know we’ve helped other communities, too,” she said. “I love that this is something everyone can have a part of – whether you’re 5 or 105. I think it’s something every community could use.”

First Merchants Bank’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility compels us to invest in our communities by finding ways to reduce inequalities, improve the quality of our neighborhoods, and promote positive economic mobility though our five community pillars: Employee Empowerment; Community Investments and Charitable Giving; Financial Wellness; Community Home Lending; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This series features First Merchants teammates who embody the spirit and impact of the company’s Vision: “to enhance the financial wellness of the diverse communities we serve.”