TRAPPE, Md.- The holiday season is a time of giving and one young man -- who gives all year round -- has a new way to help others.
Seventeen-year-old Josh Cherry built the Blessing Box, which sits outside of the Trappe Vol. Fire House.
"If people are hungry and they can't afford a meal, they can come up here and kind of hold them off until they make some extra money," Josh says.
The box is filled with non-perishable food items. The idea is for someone to be able to take something when they need it and leave something when they can. Josh says he built the box with the community's help.
"It took awhile, to get all the kids, all my friends to help me and setting up a date at the YMCA [of Easton] because that's where I built it," Josh says. He adds that he collaborated with local agencies to find the right place for it and to fund the project.
The pantry is just one of the many projects Josh does for the community through the Eagle Scouts. Though the Blessing Box took months to finish, Josh's family says the final product came just in time for the holiday season.
"This is the time where people really do suffer the most," Karla Cherry, Josh's mother, says. "Not to sound like a cliche but it is true. They're cold, they're hungry. A lot of people are seasonal workers so they may not be working this time of year."
Josh is keeping the pantry stocked for now, with the help of a local church. It's a project that Josh says he hopes inspires others.
"I want other people to be inspired from what I did," Josh says. "So hopefully it can be a Maryland wide event and there be like stations around the whole state."
Josh and his family encourage anyone to check out the Blessing Box.
"Come use it and support your community in both ways. If you need it, use it and if you can provide for it, please do so," Karla says.
The Blessing Box is available to the public 24/7 and will stay at the Trappe Volunteer Fire Company for anyone who wants to stop by.