The Jared Box Project

Local Neighbors Bond to Put Smiles on the Faces of Pediatric Patients

By Paula Green

It is distressing when a child is sick and hospitalized. A Jared Box is a small gesture that can put a smile on their face. This heartwarming gift is a plastic shoe-sized storage box filled with small gifts, toys, games, crayons, coloring books, and fun activities. Each box contains items selected for a specific age and gender. The boxes are given to children in hospitals to provide a unique, fun diversion.

The Jared Box Project was founded in 2001 by the children of Our Lady of Victory School in State College. The boxes were created to honor their classmate Jared, who courageously battled cancer. The project’s popularity flourished, and today over one million Jared Boxes have been distributed. There are 400+ hospitals from across the country that participate in this initiative.

Kira Mesoraco had never heard of a Jared Box before, but her twoyear-old daughter Lily received one due to unforeseen circumstances. “Earlier this year, my husband was out of town, and Lily was pretty sick. It was the middle of the night, and I took her to AHN Wexford Hospital because it was the closest hospital to us. I was surprised when they told me she had pneumonia. A gentleman that works at AHN gave Lily a Jared Box. They usually don’t see too many young patients, so they forget they even had the boxes,” said Kira.

“It was nice to see how much Lily enjoyed it; the box kept her calm and entertained. The medical staff treated her with antibiotics, and it brought Lily around. It was fortunate that she did not have to be admitted to the hospital. It got me thinking about how easy these boxes are to make and how kids enjoy them. So, I got a bunch of friends and neighbors together we collected donations for the boxes. We collected enough donations to make 105 of them. The neighbor kids enjoyed doing this; they had fun putting stickers on the boxes.” Kira added.

“We donated 55 Jared Boxes to AHN’s Wexford Hospital and the other 50 to UPMC Children’s Express Care in Wexford. AHN is opening a Pediatric Inpatient Program with six treatment beds on September 18. We wanted them to have the Jared Boxes for their young patients. The hospital has invited Lily to participate in the pediatric care ribbon-cutting ceremony. She is excited to be a part of it. “It’s never too early to teach your kids how important it is to give back to the community they live in. Next up, we plan to help another local non-profit, 412 Gives Back, with a Back-to-School Supply Drive,” said Kira.

For more information on the Jared Box Project, visit thejaredbox. org/. n