The Old Tupperware Box

This morning I was looking in the freezer for my leftover cauliflower cheese for lunch.

It needed to come out early to defrost. As I reached in, I picked up an old plastic container slightly worn now after years of use.

And with it came a memory.

The box was given to me about eight years ago by the mum of a young child who used to come to the Teeny Explorers sessions at the Lickey Hills, a programme I ran for children under five and their families.

One week we made a picnic together. Nothing elaborate just simple things. Jam sandwiches. Cucumber sandwiches. The sort of food that children can help prepare and share together on a blanket outdoors.

After the session the mum came over to me. She told me that sharing food was something very special in her culture. She said the moment we had created together had made her feel very happy. She wanted to thank me not with words alone, but by sharing something she had made at home.

The following week she handed me the box with a slice of vegetable quiche inside.

I remember the moment clearly because it felt like more than a thank you. It was an act of connection. A small exchange of kindness between people who had come together through nature, children and community.

Over the years, working with families, volunteers and communities, I have received many tokens of appreciation. Some have been cards, drawings or small gifts that I have carefully kept. The edible ones, of course, disappeared quickly!

But this box stayed.

It sits quietly in my kitchen, used for leftovers, lunches and the everyday business of life. Yet every time I see it, it reminds me of that moment of sharing.

In community work we often talk about outcomes, projects and programmes. But what stays with us most are these small human moments when people feel seen, welcomed and connected.

Sometimes appreciation arrives in the simplest of forms.

A sandwich shared.
A homemade quiche.
An old Tupperware box that becomes a lasting reminder of kindness.

And perhaps, if we are honest, something else too.

A reminder that at the heart of community and of caring for nature together there is always a quiet thread of connection, generosity and yes… love.