For Alexa Carey hunting for hard-to-find items during the coronavirus pandemic is a little easier thanks to community members in South Windsor and an online group called the Buy Nothing Project.
“I can’t really say the group really changed that much because that’s what we do. We give to each other. And we know each other. And we’ve been doing this for five years,” said Carey.
While the group has been around for a while, its mission has remained the same during this crisis.
It’s a place for people to offer up items for free or to ask for help with something.
“It’s amazing because in an age where we're seeing hoarding. We’re seeing panic buying. We’re seeing people very afraid. We see people afraid of scarcity. What we have in our group is abundance,” said Carey.
Group members have given away thousands of face coverings, with some providing the fabric and others helping to make them.
There are also highly sought-after supplies, including gloves and hand sanitizer.
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“It gives me a lot of hope because I think today more than ever people are really afraid and I think there are a lot of really scary things happening in the world and this shows us we can achieve more when we help each other,” said Carey.
Though for Carey her favorite posts are the ones where people simply express their gratitude for other’s generosity.
“And that’s what’s really special about the group,” said Carey.
There are thousands of these groups all around the world, including many here in Connecticut.
