Timebanking in times of social distancing: Supporting our community and ourselves

Timebanking was created to connect people in order to help one another, increasing community well-being. But this is an unusual moment in time. The highly contagious Coronavirus has become a pandemic.  How can we stay connected when we need to stay away from each other? How can we support others while keeping to social distancing guidelines, self-isolating, or even when in quarantine?

Many are finding it challenging to adapt to this new day-to-day routine. Not being able to go outside if you are vulnerable is one obstacle. For others, keeping up with schoolwork while their children are at home, while simultaneously teleworking, taking care of others, and doing household chores – including extra sanitizing -- can be overwhelming. These new conditions, plus worry about staying healthy, keeping loved ones safe, and maintaining one’s livelihood may generate a lot of stress.

Timebanking can help relieve some of that stress. For example, Timebank members offer services such as virtual tutoring in a variety of subjects for kids of all ages or even adults. Members may also provide counseling and health/wellness support or guided meditation sessions using online tools. Delivering groceries for vulnerable neighbors who need to stay inside is also an option. Career counseling and resumé writing assistance can help members whose employment has been affected.  Members may even add to their future marketability by using this time – and the help of fellow members – to learn new skills or study for certifications. They can also partner up to navigate public services and benefits. Now that many of our normal activities have shifted to be performed online – and since some members might not be familiar with online video, chat, and meeting apps – tech and computer assistance may be an especially useful and popular service exchange.  But we shouldn’t overlook the most basic ways we can connect, like a quick phone call to reduce isolation.

This year, the Silver Spring Timebank again celebrated International Timebanking Day (expanding it to a week). By that point in March, members were already aware of the need for social distancing, and our exchanges took that into consideration. Members earned bonus time when they helped fellow members to rake leaves from their yards (keeping a minimum six-foot distance), delivered mulch, and helped to keep a book club going by teaching its members how to use online meeting applications. And through inter-trading, a specialist in pet communication gave advice to one of our Timebank members about their pet. Since that time, Maryland's governor issued a stay-at-home order, making remote/virtual exchanges all the more needed. 

Timebanks are not just for exchanging services. When we get to know one another by giving and receiving help, we strengthen the fabric of our communities. We need not feel isolated. With a little creativity, we can stay connected and lend support, from a distance. 

Would you like to take part in our Remote-Exchange Idea Challenge? Let’s inspire one another. Earn an extra 30 minutes for submitting creative ideas for distance exchanges to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com by April 14. We can’t wait to hear your suggestions and share them on social media!

Silver Spring Timebank in The Washington Post!

I like giving the gift of time’: Time banks build economies — and communities — without the almighty dollar

Susan Alexander, left, brings passengers Mary and Al Liepold to Reagan National Airport. All three are members of the Silver Spring Time Bank. (Justin Wm. Moyer/The Washington Post)

By Justin Moyer, April 26

On a recent spring morning, Susan Alexander left her Maryland home, climbed into her Volkswagen Passat and drove about three miles to pick up two strangers. She battled rush-hour traffic on the Capital Beltway and George Washington Memorial Parkway before dropping them off curbside at Reagan National Airport.

She didn’t earn a dime for her trouble, and that was the point.

There and back, the trip took about 90 minutes — worth about $40 if Alexander, a retired government intelligence analyst, were an Uber driver. Instead, she’s a member of the Silver Spring Time Bank — one of more than 100 such exchanges around the world trying to build community by exchanging time credits for services instead of dollars and cents.

“I have time,” she said. “I like giving the gift of time to other people.”

Though some communities have experimented with local currency, most time banks offer an alternative, powered by 21st-century technology, to the U.S. dollar. About 70 exist across the country — some with a few members, others with hundreds — to give value to work that members say often goes uncompensated in a traditional market economy.

In Alexander’s case, passengers Mary and Al Liepold were grateful for the ride, but it wasn’t charity. Mary, a retired writer and editor for nonprofit organizations, used time credits she banked for editing work and baking. Senior citizens who don’t drive, the Liepolds cashed in their credits to catch a flight to Montreal for a five-day vacation.

Without money changing hands or shifting between virtual accounts, the airport drop-off was more like a coffee klatch than a taxi ride. Driver and passengers chatted about projects they’ve completed for the time bank, and no one raised an eyebrow when Mary said she likes “to avoid the conventional economy.”

The beauty of this is that you make friends,” Mary Liepold said. “You don’t just get services.”

The Silver Spring Time Bank formed in 2015 and has about 300 members, said co-founder Mary Murphy. Last year, she said, 1,000 hours were exchanged for basic home repairs, dog walking, cooking and tailoring, among other services, without the exchange of money.

“You get to save that money that you would have spent,” she said. “You get to meet somebody else in your community and get to know that person. That’s a bonus that’s part of an exchange.”

A transaction performed partly to make friends would seem to go against classical economics and one of Benjamin Franklin’s most memorable chestnuts: “Time is money.” To those at the forefront of modern time-banking, that’s the appeal.

Edgar S. Cahn, an 84-year-old law professor at the University of the District of Columbia who had worked on civil rights and anti-poverty legislation in president Lyndon B. Johnson’s Justice Department, suffered a heart attack in 1980. He said doctors gave him two years to live, with “maybe two good hours a day.”

“I thought: What do I do with two good hours a day?” he said, having beaten doctors’ expectations by nearly four decades. “I have to teach people to value themselves.”

Cahn became a proselytizer for what he called the “time dollar” — a currency in which an hour of work is worth an hour of work, whether it’s performed by a maid, a mechanic or a mechanical engineer. In 1995, he founded the D.C. nonprofit TimeBanks USA, which developed the software used by many time banks around the world. (The organization charges time banks a one-time $79 start-up fee in actual dollars for the software, and additional fees of about $3 per member each year.)

Cahn said worthy services are routinely completed with no compensation in the market economy, pointing to a 2014 RAND Corporation study that valued informal caregiving for elderly Americans at more than $500 billion a year. Using time as currency “values what it means to be a human,” he said.

“We’re all trained as human service professionals: ‘How can I help you?’ ” he said. “None of us is trained to say: ‘How can you make a difference?’ I need you as much as you need me.”

While the world is unlikely to shift to an international time credit economy, hours have been exchanged in time banks in at least seven countries, including South Korea, New Zealand and France, according to the TimeBanks USA website.

One of the most-active time banks in the United States is the Crooked River Alliance of Timebanks, based in Kent, Ohio. Started in 2010, the alliance has 1,200 members in five branches that have facilitated more than 70,000 hours of exchanges, according to Abby Greer, its founder and director.

“I’m the Bill Gates of time banks,” she said.

Greer said time banks can serve as small-business incubators and a way for seniors to remain active after retirement. They also put value on work that’s not traditionally compensated, like homemaking, she said.

“Everyone’s time is equal,” Greer said. “It changes your thinking about money, wealth, community and knowing your neighbors. All these things have been lost in the past 100 years. The time bank is bringing them back.”

Time banks have also saved their members money.

Alexander, who shuttled the Liepolds to the airport, was giving back after recently spending her time credits to have her home thermostat replaced. She estimated an electrician would charge more than $100 for the job, but fellow timebanker Don Slater, a former NASA engineer turned National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contractor, finished the job in about 30 minutes.

Despite his credentials, Slater, 68, called the wage differential between lower-paid jobs and jobs like his former one “ridiculous.”

“We train for different things, we follow different paths,” he said. “While one may be much more visible than the other — more stressful than the other — it doesn’t make it any less important or less significant.”

As Alexander drove 12 miles back home to Takoma Park, Md., after dropping off the Liepolds, she said the trip wasn’t about profit margins, but the promise of future contact.

“It was funny — we hugged goodbye,” she said. “I’ve never met these people before, but it feels like we’re part of the same family.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/04/26/i-like-giving-gift-time-time-banks-build-economies-communities-without-almighty-dollar/?utm_term=.7d0fb8a6a655

Variety of expertise featured at the Skill Share and Repair Cafe 2019

Basic crochet and knitting instruction, proper use of kitchen knives, and bicycle maintenance and repair are just a few of the many skills highlighted at the third annual Silver Spring Timebank Skill Share and Repair Café held Feb. 10 at the Silver Spring Civic Building.  

The free event, open to the public, featured talks and demonstrations by timebank members, as well as opportunities to ask questions and to have small items repaired. Talks on green living, gardening, food preparation, and social media marketing were very popular.

In addition, Dale Brown gave helpful tips on how to find new homes for things you no longer want, as she described creative ways to do this beyond donating to a generic charity.  

Other talks included Edward Constable, an experienced home cook, who shared knife skills and tips, with a reminder to keep your knives sharp. He advised, “Sharp knives slice food, but dull knives are the ones that cut fingers.” A talk on art journaling for your health by Madeline Caliendo also included useful information.

At one repair table, Karl Kosok, aka Mr. Fixit, repaired an heirloom lamp for Karen Onthank—it was a lamp she had received from her grandparents when she went away to college. She said, “It is wonderful to be able to use the lamp again because it has such good memories.”

At other tables, Tanya DeKona helped visitors with pottery repair for several types of items; Fricka Ling answered diverse questions about bicycle repair and offered tips on where to ride in the metropolitan area; Simon Mauk, who also can do book repair, gave advice on furniture repair; and Jennifer Okosun, director of a babysitting service that goes onsite for special events, offered suggestions for successful babysitting.

Eleni Barber, a licensed social worker, was helpful to quite a few people seeking information about elder care. She said, “This is a unique opportunity for other people to get free advice on elder care. It is also very satisfying to me to share my skills and to make connections with the people I meet here.”

Other areas where attendees could find expert advice were houseplant care with Lisa Jacobson, and how to make sauerkraut in your home kitchen by Linda Andrews.

SSTB is a timebank in which people exchange their services for hours of credit that are “banked” so they can use the credit later for other services they may need. No cash is exchanged.  In addition to the website linked to above, more information about the timebank can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

This article was written by SSTB member Donna Sasser and posted on Source of the Spring at
https://www.sourceofthespring.com/general-news/events/skills/#.XG1rMpNKii5. Photos courtesy of SSTB members Mark Paster and Laura Kranis.

Delicious cake recipe from our summer picnic!

One of our members, Katherine Brooks, brought an amazing cake to our summer picnic social. The crowd devoured it and begged for the recipe. We learned it was an old family recipe that couldn't be divulged, but Katherine shared another favorite, listed below.  Many thanks to Katherine who is the Senior Event Manager for Enflotra: Events, Florals and Travel. 

Million Dollar Pound Cake (Just 7 Ingredients!)

Ingredients

• 1 pound butter, softened

• 3 cups sugar

• 6 large eggs

• 4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make It

Step 1

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. (The butter will become a lighter yellow color; this is an important step, as the job of the mixer is to incorporate air into the butter so the cake will rise. It will take 1 to 7 minutes, depending on the power of your mixer.) Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. (Again, the times will vary, and butter will turn to a fluffy white.) Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow yolk disappears.

Step 2

Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. (The batter should be smooth and bits of flour should be well incorporated; to rid batter of lumps, stir gently with a rubber spatula.) Stir in extracts.

Step 3

Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. (Use vegetable shortening or butter to grease the pan, getting every nook and cranny covered. Sprinkle a light coating of flour over the greased surface.)

Step 4

Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 5

Note: For testing purposes only, we used White Lily All-Purpose Flour.

Chef's Notes

For the best results, preheat your oven to 300º before you begin. Also soften butter at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Our first Repair Cafe is a hit!

What's a Repair Cafe? It's about getting stuff fixed, helping the environment and building community, all at the same time!  The Silver Spring Timebank hosted our first Repair Cafe on Saturday, May 5 at the Montgomery County GreenFest. There was a steady crowd of people to get a variety of items fixed including furniture, jewelry, clocks and small appliances, and the feedback was terrific!  

• One woman, who had four chairs repaired, was "super happy!".

• Another woman arrived with a broken clock, a 20-year old wedding gift, and left with it working like new again.

• And a woman came with a jewelry box nearly in pieces, and she was thrilled to have it fixed as it carried great meaning for her.

Our first foray into the Repair Cafe scene was a success, and we'll be sure to offer another in the future...stay tuned!

Member Spotlight: Loving the reciprocity of timebanking

Princess Clemente helps people in all aspects of her life. She brings that passion to the SSTB, and looks forward to receiving help from others too!

A chance sighting of a Silver Spring Timebank flyer led to Princess Clemente becoming a member of the timebank in December 2017. The idea of a timebank intrigued her. Not only was this fortuitous for her, but it was a boon to the timebank because Princess used her graphic design skills to prepare the program sheet and signs for the recent timebank Skill Share in January.

Born in the Philippines, Princess came to the US at age four. She lived in New York and Illinois before settling in Silver Spring as an adult. Princess now works as a trainer for the Arlington County Department of Human Services primarily designing online training. In that capacity, she creates instructional aids, online modules and tutorials for staff from various divisions in the department.

Asked what she wished to do as she was growing up, Princess always said she wanted “to help people.” She has found her niche doing that, both in her job and as an active member of the timebank. Princess has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in training and development from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL. She studied psychology – not with the intention of becoming a professional psychologist, but to learn about people and to prepare for her career.

In addition to family, she credits her teachers for having a major influence on her life – in particular, one psychology professor in college. This teacher was really tough, but emphasized learning from mistakes.  Her mantra was that one does not really learn something until one demonstrates it in real life, i.e., making the changes necessary to improve after a mistake.

Moving to the DC area was exciting for Princess because she appreciates all the civic engagement here. She has been going to local political events and related activities. She also likes to travel and try new places, particularly restaurants, with her wife, Laura Muñoz Lopez, who is also a timebank member.  A favorite non-work interest is their two orange rescue cats, Marley and Barley. In her spare time, Princess plays tennis in two leagues. She previously played tennis in college and coached high school tennis.  

As a timebank member, Princess is available to teach tennis and to advise on graphic design or e-learning projects such as creating interactive PowerPoints. She looks forward to learning some new skills through the timebank, and she has already used the services of a timebank cat-sitter. She is “super-excited to be a part of the timebank community because it has the feeling of a close community and personal touch that one does not always find in a city environment.”

Thanks to SSTB member Donna Sasser for writing this Member Spotlight!

Member Spotlight: Building Community

The Silver Spring Timebank involves getting to know people, not just using their services, member says.

By the logic of modern society, in which time is money, the notion of a timebank doesn’t make a lot of sense, necessarily.

After all, which is easier, if your favorite pair of pants springs a hole in the pocket: to drop it off at the tailor on the way to work and pick it up that evening at a cost of, say, $20? Or to search through the Timebank for someone who claims to do sewing, send them an email through the anonymous system and hope they write back and then, if they do, find out where they live and when you might be able to swing by?

It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve, according to Bob Kirk, a Silver Spring Timebank member, fiddler with things that can go wrong around the house and connoisseur of social structures from around the world.

“Depending on the thing you’re providing, it naturally happens, like when I’m teaching people handyman stuff,” said Bob, who served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Gambia, worked in international development in Ecuador and Guatemala and plied his skills as an IT geek for the State Department in four different embassies.

For example, he said, he once responded to a request from Timebank member Carrie Noel-Nosbaum, who had some blinds that needed fixing, among other household repairs.

Before leaving, he gave Carrie a list of tools that would be good to acquire to maintain her apartment, and so the two got to chat.

In contrast, he said, there was relatively little interaction when he provided services to another Timebank member.

“I was chopping wood for somebody and went over there several times,” he said. “One time, she was in another part of the yard doing some stuff, and the second time, she was just inside, so I’m just doing work in her yard. So aside from saying hello, it’s not a shared activity.”

And so if he had his druthers, Bob would institute an informal requirement that each Timebank exchange include some, well, informality.

“What I would like is maybe that you put something into it that part of the exchange is the sit-down-and-get-to-know-you part, like, each hour, do a 20-minute— give the person tea or coffee … so like when I’m dropping off someone’s sewing or picking up my sewing, that I have to make a connection— they have to be there, we have to invite each other in.

“I thought that was happening more, but there’s two types of exchanges, the ones that don’t have that built in and the ones that do,” he continued. “But having it out there …  like, you should bank on an hour exchange that includes the 20 minutes of socializing. …  That’s certainly my model, that I want to try and include that personal exchange, at least a little bit of who I am or what I’m doing and what your background is too.”

To some extent, Bob says, the Timebank recognizes this non-formal aspect— hence the quarterly social events where people can simply hang out and talk.

“[People are] trying to go from the formal to the informal, but how do you make that transition, how do you not keep track of hours?” he said.

Carrie, the recipient of Bob’s tools-to-buy list, is grateful for Bob’s services, including fixing an oven drawer that had come off its rails.

“He kind of figured it out while I was watching and then showed me, so if it happened again, I would know how to fix it,” she said.

In fact, he suggested she get her air ducts cleaned before he left— something Carrie said would not have occurred to her.

‘It wasn’t like, ‘Just come in and do the job,’” she said. “It was, ‘How can I help make sure you’re taking care of your place the best that you can with the knowledge I can give you?’”

But for Bob, there’s something larger at stake—something that goes beyond sharing skills and imparting knowledge, important as those are. 

For example, the Timebank has a Community Time Chest for people with personal emergencies— in fact, Bob was the first beneficiary.

“I gave a kidney to a woman in California,” said Bob, who lives with his wife and three children in East Silver Spring. “So I was home for six weeks afterwards— it’s an abdominal wound, so you’re not supposed to lift things, and so I had people come by and bring meals, was the main thing.”

In addition, Bob said, timebanks can help restore something that has been lost in the definition of friendship.

“When you build that next level, of doing things for each other,” he said, “it’s a deeper friendship than, ‘We just enjoy each other’s company, and I would never ask you for help, and you would never ask me for help.”

In short, Bob said, a timebank is more than a credit-exchange mechanism— it’s a way to get to know people even if the services those people offer also could be obtained simply by picking up the phone and calling a plumber, for example.

“I think that’s part of the challenge, is we’ve got to get used to … this older concept of friendship,” he said. “You have to accept some inefficiencies but realize those inefficiencies are part of the benefit you get.”

Thank you to SSTB member Mark Sherman for writing this Member Spotlight article.