We’ve all been in the position when we wanted to be somewhere we couldn’t. Maybe to share in the excitement of a big promotion or an engagement or a new baby or the loss of someone. If only we could ship ourselves to be there and give a big HUG in this moment! Since jumping on a plane every time we find ourselves in this position isn’t possible, Mason entrepreneur Jennifer Barcenas has patented a Hug in a Box that you can send in your place.
Jennifer’s business, BoxFull, grew out of a need in the market during the Covid pandemic, when a close friend of hers lost her mom to Covid. As many people do, she sent flowers. However, as a self-proclaimed “hugger”, she was looking for something more personal and thoughtful and didn’t find anything hug related. She did come across a teddy bear with long arms, and began to envision the potential of packaging it in just right so that when opened, it would be there for the hug that she wasn’t there to provide. This was the beginning of a dream…”sending hugs everyday for a living”.
Supportive Mason Community Helps Grow BoxFull
“Getting new customers to purchase something they have never seen is a hurdle, and I understand that”, states Barcenas. Striving to find purpose in her work, Barcenas has found ways to partner with her community through Love Like JJ, a non profit in Mason with a mission to provide support to children and families, which has allowed her to introduce her business at various events. In partnership with Love Like JJ, she has provided donations to first responders at the Mason Police and Fire Departments so that they could provide a “hug” when they are responding to calls that involve children or working with children entering the foster care system.
So Many Reasons to Send a Hug
There are many other businesses in the category of gift giving but Barcenas believes that BoxFull is a new and unique idea in this area. She enjoys knowing her packages are going to those who need a hug for a variety of reasons, some of the most recent orders of BoxFulls include:
- A family that sent their grandmother a “hug” for Mother’s Day
- Long distance relationships
- Loss of a loved one
- College students away for first time/homesick college students
- Recovering from a medical procedure
- Military Leaves
What’s in the BoxFull?
When you order a Boxfull, you get to choose from a variety of high quality stuffed animals and the arms of this stuffed animal are attached in a patented way that opens with the box to extend for a hug. In addition to the stuffed animal, you can personalize a message and also include a variety of add-ons such as a sleep mask, a mini balloon, candy or a gift card. Barcenas has big dreams for these boxes since the possibilities are endless and she’s working on getting there, one hug at a time.
For more information, check out sendaboxfull.com.
