Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” This can refer to a teen as well as an adult. Hubbard High School junior Madelyn Fonagy, of Brookfield, could be the poster child for this statement.
She is head altar server at her parish, St. Thomas the Apostle in Vienna, where she also conducts training sessions for new altar servers, is part of the Together Growing in Faith (TGIF) group and instructs the Confirmation Class. She is also a member of the Hubbard High School Band.
On top of all that, she manages two blessing boxes.
Three years ago, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, her grandmother, Sue Fonagy, convinced then-14-year-old Madelyn that there was a demand for help in their community. After going together to take canned goods to a food pantry in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, Sue suggested Madelyn start a food pantry of her own.
With her grandfather’s help, Madelyn created a blessing box at his dental office on Warren-Sharon Road in Brookfield, in a location that provides privacy for its visitors. Then, a year-and-a-half ago, Madelyn opened a second blessing box at her parish.
“It is outside. People can come whenever they want. It is open 24/7. You can take something and replenish it, but if you don’t have the money to do so, it’s all good,” said Madelyn.
Her blessing boxes contain nonperishable food items for the hungry—enough to supply a couple days’ worth of food to an individual or family.
“I got a thank-you note that was left under a can,” said Madelyn. “It said, ‘Thank you. I’ve been out of work for almost six weeks.’ She had a family of four. That just brings me joy to know that I am helping someone.”
Madelyn’s first blessing box was not very active in the beginning. However, after being asked to promote her project on several local television stations, the box began to empty regularly.
She refills the box with the help of St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners and the public. Some people even leave money or gift cards to help support the project.
Parishioners also help Madelyn stay on top of the expiration dates on the food. “The secretary at church and some of the other women who work there will check the items to make sure that they are not too old. If they are, they let us know and throw them away,” said Madelyn.
Without a driver’s license, Madelyn had to rely on her grandmother to drive her to the boxes regularly. Now a driving 17-year-old, she conducts more of the maintenance of the boxes on her own.
“I check the boxes every day,” said Madelyn. “I wipe off the cans and the boxes. I have to make sure everything is in the right place. People sometimes leave cheese and milk, which is going to spoil. I also check if the boxes need to be refilled.”
For her efforts, Madelyn has received plenty of accolades. “I received the Eagle Excellence Award from my high school. I was a hometown hero for WYTV. I won an [award] from the Knights of Columbus [and] United Way and I was a Tribune Chronicle Community Star for my work with the blessing box,” said Madelyn.
Now, Madelyn is looking to expand the scope of her blessing box program. Her pastor, Father Ryan Furlong, is also the pastor at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Cortland and St. William Parish in Champion, and he has suggested she add boxes at each parish.
She would also like to start collecting items for the boxes that would address more than just hunger, such as school supplies and personal hygiene items.
Madelyn is planning to go to Youngstown State University after she graduates from high school, but she says that will not stop her work on her blessing boxes.
After college, Madeline says, “I want to own my own business someday. I want to own my own nursing home and help older people.”
