I'm becoming very fond of Lawrence Freecycle. This is an informal group of local people who are giving away (recycling) the things they don't want to each other instead of throwing it away and filling up dumpsters. There really are only 2 rules: whatever you give away has to be totally free, and you have to be willing to pick up whatever you want.
A lot of Lawrence Freecycle is children's clothing. But there is also furniture and all sorts of random things being traded. I have been able to give away several things that I've had in the basement that I've wanted to get rid of, but hadn't wanted to throw away, and found it too inconvenient to take to Goodwill, things like an office chair, stuffed animals, a christmas tree, and some old computer equipment. Yesterday, I picked up the first thing that someone has given me--a set of polymer clay books and a mold. I use polymer clay in some of my crafting and I'll be using it for some of the Christmas gifts I'm making.
The people I have met so far run the gamut of economic conditions, from upper middle class to lower class. One of the more surprising things about Lawrence Freecycle is that sometimes there are people who are really in need--people who have been thrown out of their homes and need furniture, bedding, or cookware, or people who need clothes for their little children, a single mother who can't afford a christmas tree this year. Often it isn't that person who is asking for help, but a friend of theirs asking on their behalf and very often people step up to help.
As Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing."
No comments:
Post a Comment