ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – A Facebook group is using a minimalist approach to try benefiting the Abilene community.

What started as a regular house cleaning for Carrie Williams became much more. She was overwhelmed. A single mother of four kids, she was looking to go minimalist in 2022.

But, she was not sure of what to do with all of the cleared clothes, kitchen supplies and other items she would otherwise donate.

She had the idea of creating a “buy nothing” group that would others who wanted to get rid of the clutter to give away some of their old necessities to others who may need them.

“We want to be able to give to the community, without people having to go out and buy and spend less money and put their efforts somewhere else,” Williams said.

Anything from Tupperware to blankets or even an old pressure cooker were being given away.

Shelia Kieser and her children recently moved to Abilene, but that move had its consequences.

“My daughter needed a full-sized bed,” Kieser said.

She had been part of similar “buy nothing” groups before, and reached out to see if there was anyone who had an extra mattress lying around. At the time, it seemed like a long shot, until one friendly lady replied.

“This really kind woman said, ‘Hey, my son just moved out three or four months ago, and doesn’t want this, do you?’” Kieser said.

She was looking to clear some extra space in her home, and found the perfect match in Kieser to give that bed to, all for free.

That’s the whole purpose of the group, Williams said, to be able to help those who have needs within the community while building relationships and sustaining the community from within.

For example, Williams said within the first few days of the group being made, a woman reached out asking for help after her check didn’t go through the previous week.

The group got together after cleaning out their pantries, and put together a gift of nonperishable foods that they hadn’t touched to help her out, even delivering it to her because she didn’t have transportation.

If you are interested in joining the “Buy Nothing-Big Country” group on Facebook, you can find a link to their page, here.