[Begin forwarded message] Hi everyone,
My name is Christy Ellingsworth, and I've just been made co-moderator of the West Philly FreeCycle group. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, freecycling is a means of disposing of your unwanted items without the use of landfills, thrift shops, or hassle of re-sale on eBay, having a porch sale, etc. Freecycling is a way of "matching" a person who has something to give away with someone who wants or needs it. It's a win-win proposition. You rid yourself of excess clutter, things that have long outlived their usefulness to you, and in addition get the satisfaction of helping someone else in need. In our case, this person being an actual neighbor here in West Philadelphia. Not only are you doing a kindness to a neighbor, but it's also a great opportunity to strengthen or open new friendships and lines of communication across the community. Freecycling in general has received quite a bit a press lately, and the main Philly FreeCycle group just had an article published about them in the Inquirer. http://www.markis.com/fc/press.htm Our intention is to promote interest in freecycling in general and in the West Philly chapter in particular. The main Philly group has seen an explosion in membership since the Inquirer article a week ago, and I think the time is ripe for us as well. Freecycling works best when more people get involved. We want our West Philly group to grow and develop, so that we in the community derive the most benefit. It's so much better to share with those directly around you, AND so much more convenient!! To offer a brief example, my daughter is 9 months old and an EAGER eater. We go through a ton of baby food jars. I have posted to the freecycle group offering these jars (which, in this case, would otherwise get recycled) to anyone interested in them for storage, craft purposes, etc. Several people responded expressing interest and we've made arrangements for pickup. Now we're both better off -- a win-win! But it's not just baby items, it's ANYTHING. Absolutely anything that you have and no longer want or need, you can post an OFFER message to the group and, often within minutes, you will have people emailing you asking for said item and offering to come pick it up at your convenience. Or, conversely, if you are in need of something, you can post a WANTED message to the group asking others if they have what you need. And very often (and particularly when more people get involved!) someone will! I myself have received a pair of beautiful french doors, TWELVE (yes, twelve) boxes of cookbooks (see http://www.markis.com/fc/kudos.htm), school uniform items for my older daughter, a lampshade, many toys, etc. I have given a comforter set, the above-mentioned baby food jars, miscellaneous baby items, a toddler-size sleeping bag, and a big bag of fabric. And I'm just one person. So you see, it really runs the gamut. And when you get lots of people involved, it's simply amazing. Please visit our group site for more information: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/westphillyfreecycle/ and feel free to join us! [EMAIL PROTECTED] I welcome your questions and comments -- please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks so much!! Very best wishes, Christy [End forwarded message] ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
