Warming Boxes

An Outreach to Help the Homeless in Henderson

What started out as walks along the Hays Boat Ramp and throughout Atkinson Park for Taylor Heady has turned into an outreach program to assist the unhoused population here in Henderson. 

In 2021, upon moving to her current home, Taylor started taking walks through the area and quickly noticed unhoused individuals. She said,“I started to become friends with a lot of them and would check in and bring them snacks, outdoor gear, clothing etc.” Taylor recalls one individual was extremely hard to get to know. He didn’t want much to do with her for quite some time. Fast forward, and Taylor learns he has autism, which fueled her desire to help even more. “My heart was pulled to this individual for a reason,” she expressed, as her youngest son, Levi (5) is blind and has autism. Taylor began to leave her new friend items inside a small box along her fenceline that faces Atkinson Park. He eventually started to tell his friends about Taylor’s generosity which led her to leave things for them, too. 

In 2023, a deck box was donated to Taylor’s efforts of leaving items to support the homeless. Taylor says one day she asked her unhoused friend what she should call the box and he quickly responded, “I think you should call it the Warming Box because it warms all of our hearts.” From then, the “Warming Box” was born and more have been added throughout our community. 

Taylor’s Warming Box is located at Hays Boat Ramp, right next to Park Baseball Field. Blessing Boxes have quickly grown over the last four years. “We now have at least nine boxes in Henderson County alone,” Taylor said. These include the locations of East End near Audubon Kids Zone, The Bridge Church parking lot, Chloe Randolph Organization lot, Center Street, Warming Box at Hays, Father Bradley Shelter parking lot, Corkscrew Curiosities on 2nd Street (front porch), Spottsville/Reed area and Redbank’s Nursing Home parking lot.

There are a variety of items donated to these boxes. Some of these items include: 

›› Nonperishable food items (pop top style canned goods, peanut butter crackers, canned meats, granola bars, chips, fruit cups, ramen noodles, protein drinks, bottled water, electrolyte drinks etc.)

›› Gently used or new clothing items (coats, pants, sweaters, gloves, hats, scarves, socks), 

›› Hand warmers

›› Blankets, sleeping bags, tents, small pillows

›› New or gently used shoes

›› Camping/outdoor survival gear

›› Rain ponchos, emergency blankets etc. 

When items are donated to the boxes, residents may come whenever they are in need. Taylor explains how this is truly an honor system. She either supplies everything out of her own pocket or through community partnerships and donations. Taylor will check boxes to see what items need to be restocked. She does not put everything inside the boxes at once. Henderson is blessed with amazing volunteers who help maintain the boxes, too. The outreach leader expressed that “people do not have to be homeless to utilize these boxes.” Anyone who may be going through a hard time and needs some extra help is encouraged to come get any items to help them get through. 

Most have learned about the Warming Boxes through word of mouth or social media. Taylor plays a major role in outreach work for this initiative by going out and speaking with those who are homeless in our community. She also partners with Henderson Homeless Coalition where Melissa Collier (President) and Jessica Lang share about these boxes with their clients. They also provide donations, when able, to help keep the boxes stocked. Taylor said, “They are both amazing at what they do. They help immensely by spreading the word to those who are in need.” For those who do not have transportation, Taylor encourages these individuals to message her and she will gladly do what she can to accommodate their needs.

The support received by our community in her efforts to help the unhoused brings so much joy to all involved. Taylor recently had the opportunity to partner with East Heights Elementary School. There was a 4th grader who wanted to have a donation drive for the Warming Box, so the school excitedly reached out to Taylor to see what they could do to help. The kind-hearted Hendersonian said, “I used to have an arts and crafts studio for kids and the young lady was one of the amazing kids that had been to the studio. Full circle moment. With her spearheading the idea, the teachers and staff fully embraced it.” Taylor noted how East Heights 4th grade collected a large amount of wonderful donations for the boxes. Deaconess Hospital OB Unit also hosted a donation drive recently and collected items for the boxes as well.  

Looking ahead, Taylor has many plans for the future. She wants to continue everything she is doing with the Blessing Boxes and would love to open a food pantry of her own some day. Currently, she is looking for a trailer or a small camper she can renovate to turn into a “Mobile Warming Box.” This would work as both an outreach trailer and also as a way to store donations in order to restock the boxes when needed. When it comes to restocking, she usually goes out every other morning and every weekend to check the Blessing Boxes and restock them all with the donations she has loaded in her SUV. 

It is Taylor Heady’s goal to continue helping the homeless community by bringing awareness to all of the local organizations here in Henderson that do so much to help. Some of these organizations include Henderson Homeless Coalition, Daniel Pitino Homeless Prevention/Intervention Services, Harbor House Christian Men’s Center, Father Bradley Shelter, Christian Community Outreach, The Answer Center, Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity.

Taylor also wants those who are unhoused to know they matter. She said, “They are loved. They are worthy. People in this community genuinely care about them and their success in life. Please do not hesitate to reach out. We want to help.”

“I am extremely grateful to our local community members who support these boxes. If it weren’t for all of them, there would be no way we could sustain this project. Thank you, thank you!” From community members who bring donations to those who have them sent directly to Taylor from the Amazon list, Taylor cannot express how much it means to her and how thankful she is to see our community coming together to make a difference. 

“I have several that reach out via social media after seeing the work we all do. It makes me feel like we’re all doing the right thing. People look to us for help in those hard times, even if it’s just a conversation. It means the world to know that people feel safe enough with me to explain their hardships and ask for help.” The Warming Box outreach program is a beautiful example of what spreading local love and kindness in our community is all about. 

For questions or ways you can get involved with the Warming Box outreach initiative, you can message the Henderson County Homeless Coalition Facebook page, Taylor Heady’s personal Facebook page or send an email to [email protected]. The donation list can be found on Amazon under the Warming Box Wish list in Henderson, KY.