Jill MacIntyre Witt built the Share to Care program in the Columbia Neighborhood and plans to spread the word to other neighborhoods as a goal for this coming year.
The Share to Care program encourages neighbors to borrow from each other and reduce consumption. There is a list on the neighborhood website where people can add an item they would be willing to share with fellow neighbors.
MacIntyre Witt said she was inspired to start this program after a snow storm two or three years ago.
When the storm was forming her husband said they should go out and buy a snow shovel. MacIntyre Witt didn’t see the point in that when they could simply borrow one from a neighbor. This got her thinking about how much people think they need and making this an opportunity for change.
“As citizens, we need to do our part to create a sustainable world through our actions,” she said.
MacIntyre Witt started promoting this program by speaking about it at neighborhood meetings, writing about it in the newsletter and having a blurb about it in the neighborhood emails.
MacIntyre Witt doesn’t measure success by how much sharing is happening in the neighborhood, but by bringing awareness, having this as a resource and that it is used.
“I want people to think twice before buying an item,” MacIntyre Witt said.
She said she’s happy when a call is made to a neighbor to borrow a ladder instead of buying one.
There are 37 items posted on the list on the neighborhood website.
“Just because it’s not listed doesn’t mean it’s not being shared,” MacIntyre Witt points out.
Claire Evans is a neighbor who uses the Share to Care program.
Evans has three items listed to share on the website; a crock pot, large coffee maker and rice cooker.
She chose these items because they are something people might need excess of for a large party that would be used once in a while and there is no reason to go out and buy a new one.
“Who wants to buy something and then store it while it collects dust,” Evans said.
Evans also finds this as a useful tool to monitor consumption.
“I love not buying things at a store,” Evans said. “This is a little way of helping.”
Evans went to the Share to Care list once and said it was a life saver.
Her son is adopted and their family is close to the birth family. The birth family was about to lose their house and she invited them to stay at her home. Evans was able to go to the list and ask a neighbor for an inflatable mattress rather than having to go out and buy one or having to buy a whole new bed which would have been expensive.
She hasn’t had anyone ask to borrow her items listed.
“It’s disappointing to me,” Evans said. “It bums me out.”
Evans believes the program will grow and appreciates the existence of the program within the neighborhood.
Flip Breskin is another neighbor who finds the Share to Care program useful.
Breskin has three items listed for sharing; a canopy, a costume and crutches.
She chose to list these items because she thinks they could be used and she can afford to lose them.
“I have a basic rule,” Breskin said. “If you can’t afford to lose it don’t lend it and if you can’t afford to replace it don’t borrow it.”
Breskin said she thinks this is a way to keep neighbors relaxed about borrowing and lending items.
Her items are borrowed once in a while. She said one time a neighbor borrowed her canopy, opened it and it was broken.
Breskin wasn’t sure at what point it was broken but another neighbor had spare parts picked up from the Dumpster and fixed it up good as new.
She finds this to be a good idea and doesn’t think everything should be duplicated.
“This makes for less waste and more community,” Breskin said.
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