ORLANDO, Fla. – We’re always hearing about people doing random acts of kindness: Paying for the person’s meal behind them at a fast-food restaurant or baking cookies for their neighbors.
Now, what if we told you that there are people who live in communities across the world that follow this very code? People are doing acts for others and getting the same kindness back. It’s like a never-ending wheel of karma for doing nice things for others.
These communities are called timebanks, and we visited the St. Pete Timebank to learn more about these folks who are donating their time and resources to each other in order to grow a stronger community.
“You take something that you love, you offer it in the timebank and then you’re paid for the time you do it,” said BJ Andryusky, the founder of the St. Pete Timebank. “You’re valued for who you are and what you have to offer. And everybody has something to offer.”
It’s all about reciprocity, too. Andryusky explained that some people just want to give, give, give -- but it’s important to remember that at a timebank, you also deserve to take a little bit, too.
Read more about the St. Pete Timebank here.
Starting the St. Pete Timebank
Andryusky started this group in October 2016. The work done by the timebank generated attention and a lot of new members. It wasn’t until 2019 when the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg gave the St. Pete Timebank a grant that changed everything.
Healthy St. Petersburg found the timebank, saw what they were doing and how they were facilitating change and made it happen.
After the grant, membership at the St. Pete Timebank grew to more than 450 people. COVID-19 has hurt membership and participation since, but Andryusky said, for her, it’s never been about the number of members, but more about the actions they offer.
“It’s not the amount of members you have in an organization that counts. It’s what they do that counts. Our members have exchanged over 30,000 hours together since 2016,” Andryusky said.
Urban farms create opportunity (and food!) for those in the community
You’ve probably thought of growing your own little garden in your backyard (or maybe you already have), but what happens when that garden becomes more than just a fun side project and ends up helping the community around you?
Just take a look at the 15th Street Farm in St. Petersburg, Florida, as an example.
Emmanuel Roux, founder of 15th Street Farm, explained to us and some of the St. Pete Timebankers that the purpose of the farm is to “offset the nature deficit of people who live in the city, to show them where the food comes from.”
Roux’s slice of land is just west of downtown St. Petersburg. It feels like a different world than the surrounding neighborhood and gives a real sense of agriculture.
For Roux and company, this is a sanctuary of giving. It’s a place where a lot more than just food grows.
“Sharing the bounty, sharing something that you have grown, where you have invested your time and efforts is, and having somebody appreciate it is, to me, very valuable,” Roux said. “It’s very satisfying.”
Sharpening your skills at the timebank can be a huge asset
When you walk by Jim Deveny of the St. Pete Timebank, you immediately hear the sound of a knife being sharpened.
A member of the timebank since 2018, Deveny is there to help out in any way he can.
When we first saw that Deveny was sharpening knives, we didn’t think much of it, but shame on us for not realizing just how useful it is.
The point of mutual aid and assisting community members is precisely this: Help comes in many different forms, and can be large and small acts.
St. Pete Timebank members use their skills to accumulate hours within the network. They can then use those hours later to receive something in return.
Deveny has many talents and has provided lots of services over the years.
“I’ve sharpened scissors,” he said. “I can take headlights that have fogged up on cars and polish them up. I do welding, I do woodwork and plumbing.”
Think you’re too old or young to contribute to a timebank? Think again
One of the best things about the St. Pete Timebank is that you can find people of all ages coming out to make the community better.
The Youth Timebank, or YTB, is a place for kids and teenagers to get involved, share their knowledge and hopefully instill a sense of volunteerism and service into their lives.
We met 15-year-old Aiymere Sanchez, who is involved with the YTB. He seemed kind of nervous and shy, but what 15-year-old isn’t when a camera is in his face and he’s getting asked a bunch of questions?
“(I) heard about it through my mom. She took me to one of the meetings,” Aiymere said. “I got noticed because I was like, one of the youngest in the entire room. And like, somehow it got to a point where they were like, OK, we can integrate like, the youth into being a part of the timebank.”
Timebanks are feeding the homeless, one meal at a time
Karin Stienemeier is described by her fellow timebankers as a “super-human human,” so that should give you some sort of indication of the woman she is.
When you walk into her home, it immediately smells like Thanksgiving dinner is in the oven, and that’s for good reason: Stienemeier is cooking what seems like dozens of turkeys for the homeless.
She explained, while carving a turkey, how she was born in Brooklyn, New York, but spent 40 years living in Germany. When she was ready to come back stateside, she knew she wanted to help the homeless because there weren’t enough systems set up in America to help them.
Solutionaries is a production of the news teams at Graham Media Group stations KPRC-Houston, WDIV-Detroit, KSAT-San Antonio, WKMG-Orlando, WJXT/WCWJ-Jacksonville, and WSLS-Roanoke. On Solutionaries, we’re highlighting the creative thinkers and doers who are working to make the world a better place.
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About the Authors
Jack Roskopp
Jack is a Digital Content Editor with a degree in creative writing and French from Western Michigan University. He specializes in writing about movies, food and the latest TV shows.