A local resident discovered a damaged donation box in a parking lot near Greene County Tech Middle School over the weekend, prompting concerns about the treatment of community food pantries in Paragould.
The incident, which occurred Saturday, left shards of plexiglass and debris scattered in and around the box. Denise Farmer, who manages a food pantry from her yard, said the damage didn’t appear to be caused by natural forces.
“I thought it could have been the wind that caused it, but it was all latched,” Farmer explained. “The plexiglass was busted on it.”
After noticing the damage, Farmer cleaned up the broken plexiglass along with trash, such as empty bottles and wrappers. She said the scene reminded her of another nearby donation box managed by a friend, which had experienced similar issues.
“She can’t have a front on hers because hers was getting done the same way,” Farmer said.
Farmer’s own pantry, known as a “blessing box,” has also faced challenges. A lock was recently added to hers following repeated incidents of vandalism and misuse.
“The whole point of the blessing boxes is to help people, and then we get people that don’t care,” Farmer said. “They just vandalize and take and take—even if they don’t need.”
The Greene County Tech School District confirmed they assessed the two pantries on school property but did not believe either had been vandalized.
Farmer hopes the incident will encourage the community to take better care of local donation resources and to support them.
“If you have extra stuff that you can donate, go through your cabinets and help people out,” she said. “That’s what I did.”