MILTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A community-wide effort to reuse is reaching new heights in Milton thanks to one woman’s generous spirit.

Every item in Melissa Robair’s closet came from a neighbor.

After losing 25 pounds last year, she searched for a cheap new wardrobe. She found it on the Facebook page Buy Nothing.

“This is really nice stuff. I got all of these sweaters and dresses for free,” Robair said.

Buy Nothing members donate free goods to declutter sustainably while helping out neighbors. Robair’s group gives to folks in Milton, Georgia, Fairfax, and Fletcher.

“It was such a great feeling that somebody needed or wanted, or could use this stuff that would otherwise go to, like, a landfill. I’ve made so many friends, so many family from this Buy Nothing group. It’s unbelievable. It’s such a passion,” Robair said.

Eager to give back, Robair donated an entire room’s worth of her stuff. When other group members said they wished they had time to do the same, Robair stepped up.

“I was like, if you have stuff and you want to donate it, you want someone to actually get it, to use it, to make another life for it, bring it to me,” Robair said.

Group members regularly drop off donations at her place. She sorts them, posts them on Facebook where members can “shop,” and then stashes them in a pickup shed in her yard.

Group member Karen Stinehour says she likes knowing her items are going to a good home for free rather than being marked up at a thrift store. “Right now with our economy, it’s tough, but you can find some stuff that, you know, you really could use, or really could want. I think there’s a lot of smiles and a lot of joy that comes from giving and receiving,” Stinehour said.

Robair has rehomed over 1,200 items so far. She’s currently setting up an even bigger donation space in her basement to help collect and spread more joy. “It’s brought a whole new lease on life for us,” she said.

Robair says she hopes her local initiative inspires other Buy Nothing groups across Vermont and beyond to follow suit.

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