#2 free stores

# Our Free Store: Why Every Town Needs One

*Episode notes for Tips And Coffee with Jc*

Good morning, friends! This morning I wanted to talk about something that’s been a real lifesaver in our town — our free store.

If you’ve never heard of a free store, here’s the idea: people donate things they don’t need anymore — clothes, shoes, coats, pots, pans, household stuff — and anyone who needs something can just take it. No money changes hands. It’s that simple.

**Why I’m so passionate about this**

I always wonder why folks with a house full of stuff they don’t want anymore haul it off to a thrift store that turns around and charges good money for it — when they could just give it away free to somebody who actually needs it. Our free store has saved us more times than I can count. When we have extra, we give. When we need something, we can usually find it there.

And oh, what a wonderful way to declutter your home! With a house full of kids, toys pile up fast. Once nobody’s playing with them anymore, they go to the free store for some other child to love.

**The shoe tree**

One time we were driving through a tiny town and I saw the coolest thing — a tree with about 50 pairs of perfectly good, usable shoes just hanging on it. Anybody could take a pair, anybody could add a pair. What a wonderful idea. We have a sharing tree here too, where you can leave gifts underneath for someone. I’m hoping we can make somebody else’s life really bright.

**Giving season**

With Christmas coming up, we’ve been thinking about all the ways to give. My mom makes baby blankets and forever-scented flowers, I make jewelry — we trade for things all the time. This year we’re hoping to take sugar-free cookies (so everyone can enjoy them) to the hospital on Christmas Eve, for the patients and the staff, so they know they’re appreciated. We’re thinking about the fire department too, after the scary fires this summer.

**What community really means**

Where we come from, everybody helps everybody — that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We still stop for cars on the side of the road. We still pick up hitchhikers. I know people say that’s not a good idea, but we’re just not built that way, and I’m glad.

I think a lot of the bad stuff you see on the news has something to do with losing that strong sense of community. Money doesn’t fix that. Money doesn’t make people happy, and it doesn’t make people generous. But showing up for your fellow man? That changes everything.

**Your turn**

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Does your town have a free store, a sharing tree, or anything like it? What are your favorite ways to give — and who do you like to surprise? Drop me a line, because this show is all about helping each other out, and your ideas might just become a future episode.

Let’s all have a good giving season. Merry Christmas, friends! 🎄