BRYAN, Texas — You've heard the phrase 'it takes a village' when thinking of a community, but one Bryan woman who is building the community up describes Bryan-College Station in a different way.
"United, proud, generous," said Bryan native, Samantha Moore when describing the Brazos Valley community.
Moore turned her vision to give back into a blessing for the whole community by creating Blessings Boxes to be placed throughout neighborhoods in town. Moore stepped into the nonprofit world last year with The Pink Box BCS initiative.
In the midst of national women's month, she expressed how happy she was to be one of the women that has had an impact on her local community, but also reflected on the challenges she faced entering the nonprofit space as a newcomer.
"It's kind of hard honestly, you have to depend on donations and you have to depend on the community to hold you up because it's not a one person job it takes a village," said Moore.
She also wants to help alleviate an even bigger problem growing across Central Texas—food insecurity. Currently, lawmakers are working to address the food insecurity problem effecting nearly 4 million Texans.
Moore has aspired to give back the way she was taught as a child, seeing the challenges her own parents faced. Now, with children of her own, she understands the sacrifices they made for her and her siblings.
"I grew up in Southgate. I grew up there being grateful and humble and appreciating everything we were able to get as kids," explained Moore. "Being an adult now and looking back I remember my parents struggles as I was growing and that made me want to get more involved in the community too."
That's where her initiative comes into play. Being a pink box, it's hard to miss in the neighborhoods where its located, which is exactly what Moore's vision was for the project when she set it into motion.
"I just wanna make it easier for them to stand and for them to find," she said.
It's the BCS spirit rubbing off on her, as she uses this village to make a difference.