by Gloria Putnam
for Altadenablog

Those of you who have had a chance to drop by one of the Altadena Urban Farmers Markets might have noticed the room of free stuff. That’s right, a whole room of stuff, all of it completely free: clothes, books, kitchenware, toys, you name it. Not only is everything in this room free, but there are friendly members of the Arroyo Time Bank there to help you pack it up and to thank you for shopping. For free.

The Arroyo Time Bank FREE MARKET will be an ongoing fixture at the Market. With the season of gift giving upon us, it’s a good time to reflect on the idea of gifting in general, why we do it, and why we shouldn’t stop after the holidays.

Gift giving is a celebration of abundance. It’s because we have extra that we can give. Sometimes we get tricked into thinking there isn’t enough to go around, because we assign value to objects in ways that don’t necessarily make sense. Every day we throw things away that would be useful to someone else. Or we hold on to something we are not using because we think it’s too valuable to give away. But how valuable is it really while sitting in the basement? Wouldn’t it be more valuable if someone were actually using it? The FREE MARKET allows us, as a community, to make the most of our stuff. The more we gift, the more we can close the gap between those that have more than they need and those who don’t have enough. And the less of our hard earned dollars we send outside of our community to acquire what we do need. This kind of gifting is a valuable tool for Altadenans all year, but the holiday season is a great time to start.

So when you get ready to leave the house tomorrow to come to the Market, grab something of practical value you haven’t used in a couple of years and bring it with you. Put it on the FREE MARKET table for a neighbor who needs it. And perhaps you will see something on the table that you need.

The Altadena Urban Farmers Market is held at the Zane Grey Estate on the third Sunday of each month, from 1-4 PM and features homegrown and homemade stuff, mostly food. Last month, 550 shoppers came out and the Market raised $330 for the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation by collecting a percentage of sales from vendors. December’s Market will benefit to the Arroyo Time Bank by raising money for their incorporation as a non-profit. The Arroyo Time Bank is a community group facilitating the exchange of goods and services without the use of money. For more information, visit www.arroyotimebank.org. Check out the delicious treats being prepared by your neighbors for the Market at www.facebook.com/AltadenaUrbanFarmersMarket

Gloria Putnam serves on the board of directors of Altadena Heritage and the Arroyo Time Bank, and together with her partner Steve Rudicel, works with the Arroyo Time Bank to organize the Altadena Urban Farmers Market. In her free time she works for Eastman Kodak Company as the Director of Sales and Applications Engineering for their image sensor business.