“Take what you need, leave what you can. Above all, be blessed.” This is the saying inscribed on what have come to be known in recent years as blessing boxes across the country. Sheila Jacobson’s story isn’t for the faint of heart, and it might not be a bad idea to have a tissue or two handy as she shares details of the life of her beautiful adoptive daughter, Amari. Sheila first met Amari as her NICU nurse in 2016, after Amari was born with an alarming number of medical complications. Eventually Sheila and her family would bring Amari home through the foster care system in Wake County and would legally adopt her in May of 2019, just a few months before she passed away. In her memory, Sheila and her family have had two blessing boxes built in Wake County. The boxes are stocked daily and weekly by the Jacobsons, Garner Fire and Rescue, local churches, and community members who want to be a blessing those in need, and in turn, those who might otherwise go without are encouraged to take whatever they need. Sheila has found that honoring Amari’s life by helping others has kept her little girl alive in the hearts of strangers across the community.
