Meet Maiharriese Wooden, founder of the Stark Blessing Box Initiative
Maiharriese Wooden is the founder and president of the Stark Blessing Box Initiative in Canton. She is also the community engagement director at First Christian Church in Canton.
Wooden is 1988 graduate of McKinley Senior High School and has attended Columbus State Community College for medical assisting technology and earned an associate degree in technical studies in 2012.
Today, she lives in Canton on the northwest side. She has two adult children, Trina and Riese, and is a grandmother to five children.
“I began my career in medical records and medical reception at a young age," Wooden said. "I stayed in that field until taking my current job at First Christian Church three years ago ... where I serve as the point person and connection for ministry partners and organizations in the area. I also oversee First Fruits Pantry and Common Goods clothing stores daily."
She does numerous other tasks at the church such as leading the community engagement team to create and facilitate the local mission endeavors; developing cultural awareness and education of the mission into the broader community; and overseeing community partner projects and volunteer schedules, and community teams (Common Goods, food ministry, etc.).
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Would you share the goal of Stark Blessing Box and why you started the program in Stark County?
The goal of the Stark Blessing Box Initiative is to fulfill short-term basic needs for those who don’t always have access to them. By doing this, we can decrease food instability in food deserts and for the unseen and underserved.
Blessing Boxes have been shown to build a sense of community in the areas where they are placed. Many can become almost self-sufficient within a year. The residents will go into their home pantries and fill blessing boxes with unwanted items they may have received at local pantries, things they have double of, or even items they have picked up on sale at the grocery store.
People are so creative with coming up with ways to get items for blessing boxes.
How many boxes are available around the county and what are the locations?
We have 33 locations in northeast Ohio. All the locations can be found at https://starkblessingbox.com/box-locations/.
What is your favorite thing about helping the community?
Helping the community has a ripple effect.
The thing about helping the community is that you may give a family a thing they need but it in turn relieves stress from your own body and budget. Stress has been proven to affect the body in many negative ways.
Therefore, there is a health benefit to doing community service. Another proven ripple is when someone is empowered, they in turn want to empower someone else.
Who or what makes you laugh the most?
My grandchildren make me laugh the most. Some of the conversations we have are the most joyous I have ever had.
What makes a day a perfect day for you?
Knowing that when I lay my head down at night, God saw that I used the gifts He gave me to care for anyone and everyone that I may have come in contact with that day.
Care means many things — a smile, a compliment, small talk, acknowledging a person's existence or choosing not to assume the worst about someone you don't know.
Editor's note: Five questions with ... is a Sunday feature that showcases a member of the Stark County community. If you'd like to recommend someone to participate, send an email to newsroom@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 5 questions with Maiharriese Wooden of Stark Blessing Box Initiative
