Swap shop

This Saturday May 31st, there will be a "Baby Stuff Swap" at the Community Center. (Not a "baby swap", as the Ocracoker called it. I doubt anyone would want to swap their baby! Well, at least not permanently...)

Here's how the swap will work: between 11 AM and 1 PM, people will bring gently used baby items (toys, bedding, strollers, furniture, bottles, car seats, clothes, books, etc.) to the Community Center and drop them off there. Then, between 2 PM and 5 PM all items will be available for pickup by anyone who needs them. No money will change hands.

I love this on many levels. First, it's environmentally friendly - the items will be reused and recycled, rather than thrown away. I'm not specifically a believer in the idea of "reducing your carbon footprint" by doing things which "subtract" from what you've added by driving a car, etc. But as a person who will soon be putting plenty of diapers into trash cans, I do like the idea of keeping as many other things out of them as possible.

Also, it's an example of community support at its best. I suspect that, especially in this day and age of eBay and craigslist, there aren't many places where people willingly give things away for free, just to help their neighbors.

Finally, I appreciate the idea of the swap because I still need things for Connor! I'm looking forward to getting ideas from local parents about what I really need, and what will just be clutter. And I'm especially hoping that there will be a swap next year (there was one last year, and I've heard talk about making it an annual spring event). In a year, I won't be merely receiving the benefits of what has been donated, but will also have things to give away to others myself.