Copperas Cove families set up Blessing Tables for neighborhoods

By LYNETTE SOWELL 

Cove Leader-Press 

With local grocery stores being hit-or-miss when it comes to some high-demand items, at least two Copperas Cove families have decided to help others fill in the holes for their shopping lists and give an opportunity to pay it forward. 

“Blessing Tables” are something as simple as a folding table set up outside the house, either near the end of the driveway by the sidewalk, or in the case of rain, under the entryway or porch. 

Betina Cash and Andy Remedies live on the corner of Griffin and Ashley, where they have a table set up daily, Cash said they saw a Facebook post about another blessing table, loved the idea, and decided to bring it to their neighborhood. 

The reason for the Covites setting up a table outside their house is simple: they wanted to help out their neighbors and the community. 

Cash said they have a little bit of everything set out, to include canned goods, mac and cheese, peanut butter, paper towels, cereal, nonperishable items, hand soap, and more.

“We started this Monday night. As of Tuesday evening, we have had numerous neighbors stop and thank us for doing this. We’ve had people come by to donate items and take items as well,” Cash said. “The Pink Warrior Angels came by and dropped off 5-6 boxes full of nonperishable items.”

Among the high-demand items that people seem to need the most are paper towels, cereal, mac and cheese, and hand soap, Cash said.

“If donations increase, we would like to do this in other neighborhoods as well. We would love to do anything we can to help out our community during this time.”

Over on Sunflower Trail, Megan Smith and her family likewise have set out a Blessing Table. Smith said she saw it on a Fort Hood Facebook page, and felt compelled to do the same thing for her neighborhood.

“I had seen so many people mention how they were struggling to find certain items at their store such as baby wipes, paper towels, spaghetti noodles and sauce and I knew I had extra in my home,” Smith said. “I wanted to just bless someone else with these items since I know they either may not be able to find it in store or may not have the income any longer to afford it.”

First she set out items like toilet paper, paper towels, baby diapers and wipes, baby food pouches, oatmeal, dried beans, and spaghetti items. 

“By the end of the evening, my neighbors had added more baby items, hand soaps, and canned goods, which was a nice surprise.”

For Smith’s household, it has become a family affair, with her children on board as well. “At first they thought I was odd for wanting to stick a table of food out on the curb, but once they saw the community come together and take/give from the table, they enjoyed watching what happened with it. My husband was even iffy on it at first, but later was scouring the house to find more to go on the table.” 

For Smith, she has seen the biggest call for toilet paper. At the time, she said she was fortunate to find a big pack at Sam’s and she wanted to bless those who haven’t been able to find any.

‘We are a family of seven, so I totally get the worry about not finding any in the store,” Smith joked. 

So far, there’s been a steady take and give at the table, and some neighbors have simply come by to take photos of the table to share with others. 

“We didn’t do it for accolades, but I’m just happy to see people coming together in times like this,” Smith said.