NEW YORK - For one person, it included a travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste, some extra cash and clean underwear. For another, some Shakespeare and a bright red lipstick. For a third, strawberry frosted Pop-Tarts and a bottle of Coca-Cola.

From amusing to thought-provoking to somewhat worrisome, a new exhibit across the street from the World Trade Center site focuses on the things we care about, what makes us feel safe.

"Homeland Security Garden" opened Monday at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center and runs through Sept. 15.

The exhibition features 200 Plexiglas boxes, mounted on green Astroturf-covered pedestals arranged like a maze.

The artist, Chang-Jin Lee, created an artwork in each box, based on items donated by people who participated in her workshops.

"This project is about hope and it's about moving forward and it's about exploring what we care about and preserving the things that we value," she said. She put the pedestals in the shape of a maze to reflect the complexity of personal safety in today's world.

Lee held the workshops all over the city, with people of all racial and class backgrounds. She asked them to bring an item, representing safety, that could fit in the 9-inch by 13-inch box.

She got a lot of mundane things - cell phones, water bottles and the like - but also a lot of quirky ones. She took inspiration from the donations to make a "safety box" that reflected each donor.

So there's the box covered with images from the 1980s television show "The Golden Girls," based on a donation from a 20-something woman. Another box is in a bright fuschia knit holder.

Some have photos in them, while others show some more disturbing ideas of security - one is full of pills and another contains a vodka bottle, cut into two pieces.

"I think it works on a lot of levels. Some of them are funny, some of them are whimsical," said Debra Simon, executive director of arts and events for the center. "People will think about the things in their lives that give them security."

Ina Rampersad, a nanny from the Bronx, took in the show during a walk through the place. "When you go home, you're going to sit and you're going to think," she said.