‘Hyper-local’ community group growing in Kingston’s west end

It’s the gift economy that is picking up momentum in Kingston.

A global community dedicated to creating neighbourhood connections and building friendships through the act of gifting unwanted stuff is expanding in the city’s west end.

It’s called the “buy nothing project” and Kingston’s west-end group is so successful they’re changing their boundaries and systems to get back to their “hyper-local” roots.

“To see it grow into what it is and now have to watch it grow again it’s kind of like watching the kids go off to school, there’s a whole lot of ‘yes we did it’ and a whole lot of ‘but I’m not ready,'” Tracy Hubbard said.

Tracy Hubbard brought the global concept of the ‘buy nothing project’ to Kingston’s west end in 2015.

Not long after, Krissy Ellis-Smith jumped on board and together they run the gifting group, which has reached more than 1,300 members in the last seven years.

“It’s really trying to minimize our carbon footprint by staying hyper-local and giving the things that we no longer need so that we don’t have to keep buying things,” Hubbard said.

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There’s really no limit to what you can find as gifts on the Facebook page: clothes, furniture, toys, household items and even bread you’ve made too much of.

People can also request gifts, to borrow a tent or even for someone to bake delicious Thanksgiving pies.

“We don’t have the close friend circle that our parents grew up with. We don’t have that neighbourhood connection where everybody looks out for everybody else’s kids. And this is trying to build community awareness through the gifts of items, the gifts of self, sometimes even the gift of knowledge,” Ellis-Smith, co-administrator of Buy Nothing, Kingston West said.

Kingston’s west-end group, which used to be bounded by the 401 and McIvor Road to the north, Sydenham Road to the east and Westbrook Road to the west is now splitting into four separate groups: northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast.

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Hubbard and Ellis-Smith say “sprouting,” as they call it, is the best way to keep the hyper-local community feel between neighbours.

“So we stopped in this group and we started in these other groups and there’s been no change in the process but there is definitely a change in the feel. It feels like it’s much more between people again and not just about getting stuff,” Hubbard said.

“Building those connections so that people don’t feel like they’re all alone,” Ellis-Smith said.

The Buy Nothing Project is found in most communities across the country and that’s no exception in the Kingston region. To find your local group, head to Facebook and search “buy nothing” followed by your community and let the gifting begin.