Panther Creek Brethren erect Blessing Box at site of old store

0
1291
The new Panther Creek Church of the Brethren Blessing Box is stocked with non-perishable food items and personal-care items that are intended to help those in need. The box stans at the site of the old Panther Store at the intersection of Iowa Highway 44 and County Road P58. Photo courtesy Ray Harden

The new Panther Creek Church of the Brethren Blessing Box is stocked with non-perishable food items and personal-care items that are intended to help those in need. The box stans at the site of the old Panther Store at the intersection of Iowa Highway 44 and County Road P58. Photo courtesy Ray Harden

The Panther Creek Church of the Brethren has put up a Blessing Box in the park-and-ride area at the intersection of Iowa Highway 44 and County Road P58 south of Perry.

The box was made by Panther Creek Church of the Brethren members Tom Peterson with assistance from Tom Burkgren, both from rural Perry.

The box is stocked with non-perishable food items and personal-care items that are intended to help those in need. The saying on the back of the box reads, “Take what you need. Leave what you can.”

In earlier times, the corner was the site of the Panther Store. According to a popular history of Dallas County, sometime before 1900 a group of local farmers formed the Panther Cooperative Association and sold shares to build Panther Store. The store stood on the northwest corner of the intersection of what today is called Iowa Highway 44 and J Avenue. It was originally operated by Israel Bever and traded in various goods.

The corner has evolved from a place of buying and selling in the marketplace to a place of Christian charity anonymously given and taken.

Around 1900 a group of local farmers formed the Panther Cooperative Association and sold shares to build Panther Store at the northwest corner of the intersection of what today is called Iowa Highway 44 and County Road P58.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.