The philosophy that a person's good deeds will contribute to his or her own good fortune is called karma.
That is the idea behind Karma Boxes that are turning up around Reno filled with food and hygiene items free for the taking.
We joined Haley Moseley, co-owner of Gourmelt while she helped stock the Karma Box in front of the restaurants near UNR.
“We're putting some toiletries, some soap, non-perishable food,” explains Haley. "I think this is a good location for it, because in between some of the weeklies downtown and Whitaker Park, there's a lot of homeless walking by and I think it's a good thing to reach out and say 'hey, we have a couple of things you might need.'"
26-year-old Randy has been living on the streets of Reno for a year now and came by on his bicycle: “I was just riding up the street just now and dehydrated and this dude came at me with water.”
That dude - is Grant Denton, who works with addicts in recovery. He says the group was looking for ways to give back, and thought of the popular “Little Free Libraries” book boxes.
"What way can we better serve our population? Because, a lot of us, including me were homeless and a drug addict at one time.” Denton says of the concept.
Besides water, today Randy got a new toothbrush, razor and - hope for a new job: "You know, it's kinda hard to get cleaned up when you're stuck on the streets."
The boxes are filled with anything from snacks to socks - free for the taking.
"The cool thing is they just take what they need,” says Denton. “Nobody is unloading the whole box; they just take what they need."
Moseley will help refill the karma box in front of Gourmelt and says this way of giving back really meets someone's basic needs: "Like grab a snack or shave or put on deodorant or wash your hair."
And while the Karma Boxes are just now being placed in front of various businesses around town, Grant has found that people are already replenishing the items - because anyone can: "You're able to swing by and give at any time, right - and it gives you a platform to give back."
The hardware and lumber for the boxes is being donated by Home Depot and they're being built by the clients of The Life Change Center.
Karma Boxes can be found in front of -
Chuy’s in Midtown, Reno
Mari & Chuy's Mexican Kitchen
764 S Virginia St
Reno, NV 89501
http://www.chuysmexicankitchen.com/
Gourmelt, near UNR
101 University Terrace, Reno, NV 89503
(775) 501-5250
The next one is planned for the front of the Washoe County Public Defender’s office at 350 S. Center Street, Reno (near the downtown library).
To have one built at your place of business, contact -
Grant Denton
(702) 980-0347
