How a Sacramento ‘Buy Nothing’ Facebook group helped a community thrive in 2020

What does it look like when life comes to a sudden, grinding halt? When your livelihood is drastically altered with no warning? What does it feel like when you aren’t sure where the next meal is coming from, or when the roof over your head becomes far less stable?

It creates an anxiety, a deep-rooted fear that you can’t seem to get yourself free from. While the COVID-19 pandemic sent millions of people into a simultaneous tailspin, that kind of anxiety has never been limited to a worldwide plague. From sudden job loss, to removing yourself from an unhealthy relationship or full blown natural disasters, there are a myriad of reasons for which someone could find themselves without resources, without support, and without any idea of who to turn to.

That is why Kali Williams started the “Buy Nothing Midtown Sacramento and Beyond” group on Facebook, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in August. A group centered around the community coming together to not only give what they no longer need, but to assist when and where resources are needed most. In a year when lockdowns were part of our daily lives, political uprisings were spreading across the country and our government was ill prepared to handle any of it – the word “community” morphed itself from a noun into a verb, and sprung into action.

COMMUNITY IS A VERB

Buy Nothing groups have popped up in cities and towns across the globe and are based on a simple premise: If you have things you are no longer in need of, you post those items and community members have the opportunity to claim them. It was an easy way to reduce waste going into landfills and to avoid having to buy something completely new. Williams had two reasons for starting the Sacramento group.

“Two moments stand out to me as to why I started the group,” she said. “The first was that I had just given birth to my daughter and we ended up with garbage bags full of clothes. Clothes that we only used for a few weeks until she outgrew them. I wanted to be able to find people to put them to good use. That was the simple reason.”

The more complex reason harkens back to a long standing issue in America.

Too much demand, and not nearly enough supply.

“I happened upon a post from an acquaintance on Facebook,” she said. “They were struggling financially, and were having issues feeding themselves. They didn’t have access to support services for a number of reasons but they lived a few blocks from me, so I offered to put together a couple of bags of pantry items for them. That’s when it really hit me that a centralized place where you could go to seek out community was needed.”

While there are theoretically systems in place for those who are struggling financially – the Department of Human Services for food and cash aid, various nonprofit organizations that provide housing assistance and food distribution – those systems are often inaccessible, too slow, or barely make a dent for those with severe or sudden needs to be filled. Moreover, even with those services available, there are few who know how to go about getting them and even fewer who don’t feel the stigma of asking for help.

In a country where “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is practically a mantra for previous generations, the idea of even asking for help is often well beyond the scope of those who end up in the position to need it most.

COVID STRIKES

While the Buy Nothing group had been going strong for some time, it was during 2020 when the group’s numbers grew and when requests for items became more and more frequent. Through a virus-induced lockdown and an uprising against police brutality, where things could have felt even more dire than most were accustomed to, the group found solace in each other.

“I remember those first posts coming through asking if anyone could spare a roll of toilet paper ... but I also remember how people were so quick to share with each other,” Williams said. “It was such a stark contrast from what I was seeing outside of the group, which was often like the worst of human behavior. People pushing each other out of the way at my local Target, people buying flats of hand sanitizer and reselling for obscene prices.”

Yet as the tensions mounted outside of the group, inside the modmins and members were busy at work. Those with knowledge were sharing how to make masks for frontliners. People were sourcing water and food and protection equipment for the demonstrators downtown. They were offering to pick up prescriptions, groceries and other necessary items for those in the group who were at high risk.

Without a second thought, people were coming to the aid of their community members in many ways that were life saving. In fact when asked for their favorite memories, the group came forward with enough uplifting stories to make you believe in humanity – if you happened to have lost faith previously.

“My most cherished moment of this community will always be how this group helped my family stay afloat while undergoing my diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis,” says member Brandy Black. “We were so lost and confused. Within a few weeks’ span I wound up in the ER five times, all while my husband was trying to take care of me and navigate our two young daughters. Morgan, a member in the group, stepped out so fast and organized a meal train for us and we ended up with a few weeks worth of meals, on top of members donating activities for my kids, snacks for the family, and generally helping smooth over any bump they could. This community comes together with great force when it is needed.”

That was just one story among many. People who were brave enough to leave toxic or abusive relationships were finding people willing to help with clothes, furnishing, food and support. Many who were struggling with the isolation of the lockdown were finding strength in the posts, stories and shared experiences that brought people together. New parents found the items they didn’t prepare for. Parents who couldn’t afford birthday celebrations or holiday dinners after losing income to COVID-19 found so many who were willing to fill in the gaps.

FILLING IN THE (GENERATIONAL WEALTH) GAPS

According to the Federal Reserve, the last 20 years in the United States has seen the generational wealth gap grow by nearly double, created by a perfect storm of the Great Recession, an unaffordable housing market due to ‘urbanization’ (see: gentrification), and astronomical amounts of student loan debt. With millennials now numbering 72.6 million people, they have surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest generation.

Yet when comparing the amount of wealth per person (based on an average), boomers are landing at $834,000 per person. Millennials see the average resting at a little over $68,000 per person, putting them and future generations to come in a very precarious position. Which explains why the phrase “buy nothing groups” pulled nearly 1 billion results on a Google search. As the gap increases, so will the need.

While no one can predict the future, the general increase in the wealth gap doesn’t seem to be halting. Therefore one can assume that the needs of the many will continue to grow. As those needs come, Williams and her team of modmins remain more dedicated than ever to keeping their Buy Nothing Group as welcoming and safe a space as possible in order to both provide – and create – community.

As summed up best by member Otessa Andrews:

“Buy Nothing has been a respite in this dumpster fire of a year. From the cobwebs in the wallet, to the empty shelves, to the loneliness. To the soul. This space has been truly healing in more ways than I could count.”