A grassroots initiative is helping those in need by setting up food boxes throughout Chester County that are then filled with goods by the community, writes Ann Rejrat for Lancaster Online.

It Takes a Village was started by Michelle Terry in 2016. A year later, the first food boxes appeared in Downingtown, Caln, and Coatesville. The number of boxes has since expanded to nine. They are hosted and maintained by organizations such as churches and townships.

“It’s really the village that fills up the boxes,” said Jennifer Smialowicz, Executive Director of It Takes a Village. “We have people who will just swing by on their way home from work and go in and clean out some old stuff and put in new stuff.”

Read more about It Takes a Village at Lancaster Online.