When your kids outgrow their clothes or your toaster bites the dust, you probably run to the nearest shopping center without so much as a second thought.

But a growing number of Mantecans have found a different solution, one that’s saving them cash and keeping the earth a little happier. It’s called Freecycling, and its motto is “changing the world one gift at a time.”

The premise of the Freecycle.org online community is remarkably simple, Manteca moderator Ami Andrews explained. Instead of tossing something in the trash, give it to someone who can use it; when you need something, turn to Freecyclers before buying it new.

“The goal is just to offer something and seek something,” Andrews said.

Four million people have joined the Freecycle Yahoo group since its 2003 founding, and local groups have popped up in 80 countries. Stockton, Modesto, Tracy and Manteca all have networks; Manteca’s is approaching the 900-member mark, Andrews said.

Manteca Freecyclers get about 10 offer and request e-mails each day; this week, members gave away an old-fashioned school desk, Connect Four game and a $1.50 coupon for Pampers.

Andrews and two other moderators keep tabs on the posts to make sure everyone is following the rules — keep it safe, keep it legal, keep it free — but for the most part, Freecyclers are on their own. When a match is made, people meet up to exchange items or, as a safety precaution, leave their gifts on their doorstep for pick-up.

Homemaker Tammy Carroll, 48, said she has gotten clothing, candleholders and even four beds from the group, and she’s given plenty in exchange. This week she gave a range with a broken oven to a teacher, who will use it for a school project; a while back she gave her son’s crib to a local foster mother.

“It was an expensive crib, but I thought, ‘You know, I can do this. I can bless this lady with my crib,’” recalled Carroll, 48. “I took it to her home and helped set it up. And now I just think of how many babies got to use that crib, and I gave it away for free.”

When Sabrina Marquez’s house burned down four years ago, Freecyclers helped her get her life back on track with gifts of furniture, food and blankets.

“We lost everything,” said Marquez, 27, a mother of three and health care worker. “The Freecycle family helped with tons of items for us to start over … Just about anything is offered, needed or wanted on there.”

Carroll said it’s that sense of community and generosity that makes Freecycle so unique.

“When I go through a room now, I tend to take a second look at things and say, ‘Would somebody be able to use this?’ before I just throw it away,” Carroll said. “I guess you could say it makes you have a different look at things.”
Worldwide, Freecycle is growing at a rate of 25,000 members per week, according to an October 2007 press release. They estimate that the non-profit keeps 400 tons of “garbage” out of landfills each day.

Rules differ group to group, but organizers emphasize that Freecycle is intended for everyday people, not charities. Information is available at www.freecycle.org.