Blessed Provision

Blessed Provisions began with a moment that opened my eyes.

I was driving through Mass & Cass, an area of Boston where homelessness, substance use, and people living in crisis are part of the everyday landscape. I could feel my period coming, and I was thinking about getting home, curling up under my heating pad, and doing whatever I needed to do to take care of myself and be comfortable.

Then I saw her…

A woman experiencing homelessness.

I had seen women experiencing homelessness before. I had driven through Mass & Cass before. They had always been there. But that day, for the first time, I felt like I actually saw her.

And I wondered, What does she do when her period comes?

I could go home. I had privacy. I had a bathroom and a shower. I could change my clothes, get what I needed, curl up under my heating pad, and take care of myself.

But what did she do?

In that moment, my eyes were opened. I began thinking about the women I had passed by so many times before and all of the everyday things they had to navigate that I had never stopped to consider.

I couldn’t shake it. So I went to Target and started putting together what I thought a woman might need.

I chose the same kinds of products I used myself. That mattered to me. I didn’t want to give someone something I wouldn’t use just because she was experiencing homelessness. I wanted her to have things I would feel good about using myself.

I put together the first kits and began distributing them directly to women in the area. There wasn’t a program or an application. I saw a need and responded to it.

If I saw a woman who needed a kit, I gave her one.

That simple act became Blessed Provisions.

The Heart of Blessed Provisions

At its heart, Blessed Provisions is about seeing people.

It’s about noticing the person we might otherwise walk or drive past and taking a moment to consider what her day actually looks like. What does she need? What is she carrying? What are the ordinary, deeply human things she has to navigate without the comfort, privacy, or resources many of us take for granted?

I can’t meet every need, and Blessed Provisions isn’t trying to.

I just want women to have what they need.

That’s why our approach is simple. If you need a kit, you can have one. No forms. No qualifications. No questions asked.

Each kit is thoughtfully assembled with quality hygiene and personal care essentials. We continue to choose products with the same standard that shaped those first kits: we don’t want to give someone something we wouldn’t be willing to use ourselves.

Every kit also includes a handwritten note of encouragement. The note matters because Blessed Provisions is about more than handing someone a bag of products. We want each woman to know that someone thought about her, took the time to prepare something for her, and wants her to be encouraged.

My faith is at the heart of this work. It challenges me to pay attention, to see people more fully, and to respond to the needs in front of me with what I have.