Resources

This page is intended to provide quick access to information that can help people in Tompkins County, New York to share and barter, find things for free, and otherwise meet our needs in equitable, affordable ways. We need your knowledge to help make it a useful document. Please contribute!

Also, if you can, please consider volunteering your time and resources to the local organizations listed below which offer free services, to support their efforts in our community.

Jump to: Food | Clothing |Housing | Health Care | Transportation | Childcare & Parenting | General Trade Networks | Advocacy | Community and Education | Books, DVDs, CDs | Tools and Construction |Arts and Music |Media | Contribute

Food

• Ithaca Foodshed Map – “wild and planted foods on public land” – free for the taking
• Map of Ithaca Food Gardens – “Yellow pegs indicate school gardens, blue community gardens, green are farmer’s markets and red are CSA farms. Flags indicate sites for possible future community gardens.”
• Loaves and Fishes – Local food pantry and community meals
• On The 1st Saturday of every month beginning September 5 at 1 pm, there will be an outdoor pantry located on tables in the Parkside, Plain Street and Northside Projects for low and moderate income persons. Rain location will be at Southside Community Center gymnasium on Plain Street. No questions and no ID! Pantry is sponsored by Overstanding- Ithaca and Friendship Donations/Salvation Army. Pantry Coordinators are Anthony Gallucci and Sean Reese.
• Friendship Donations Network – Food rescue and distribution
• IthaCan – “a web-based social network where home food preservers in Tompkins County organize food preserving events and share information”
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension: Local Foods Resources
• Community Supported Agriculture in Tompkins County
• Tompkins County Farm Markets and Roadside Stands
• Pick Your Own Produce in Tompkins County
• GreenStar Natural Foods Market – “GreenStar Cooperative Market is a consumer-owned, democratically-run cooperative corporation, committed to providing wholesome food and quality goods to our members at the lowest practical cost, through operation of one or more retail stores and related activities. All profits are returned to the cooperative, rather than to individuals. Member labor is a significant and valued component of GreenStar’s workforce.”
• Food Not Bombs – reclaiming and “sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty”
• NY Food Trader – “Lets you sell, give away or trade food you don’t want with people who do, like an online garage sale. There’s lots of free stuff available, plus it’s good for the environment. You can also post requests for items that you need. The site works like a classified ad section, and it’s free to use.”
• VeggieTrader – buy/trade/sell veggies

Clothing

• Catholic Charities Tompkins/Tioga’s Samaritan Center – “Free clothing is available to all Tompkins County residents” – they also have personal care items and a linen closet for families in need
• Dig ‘N’ Swap – trade stylish clothing and accessories (uses shipping, not local)

Housing

• Ithaca Craigslist: Housing swap
• GreenStar Natural Foods Market bulletin board – in the very back right corner of the West End store, there’s a big bulletin board where people can put up notices about needed or offered housing
• Community Building Works! – “constructs green, affordable housing locally and internationally. For every house we provide in our community, we will provide one in a developing country. Our use of volunteer labor empowers the community to address its affordable housing needs, empowers individuals by teaching them valuable job skills, and supports a sustainable business model. By leveraging the efforts of volunteers, we can dramatically reduce the cost of a home, making it truly affordable.”
• Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties, New York – “Habitat is a hand-up, not a hand-out for low-income families in need of an affordable, decent home. Partner families commit 500 hours of “sweat equity” working on their own home, the homes of others, and attaining skills needed for self-sufficiency and responsible homeownership. Families also repay a modest no-profit, no-interest loan with affordable monthly payments. Payments go into a revolving fund to build homes for more families in Tompkins and Cortland Counties.”
• WeCommune – barter, share, set up collective housing projects and networks
• Intentional Communities Directory – “Intentional Community is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, alternative communities, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.”
• CouchSurfing – “CouchSurfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit” – which means free sofas to sleep on while traveling

Health Care

• Ithaca Health Alliance – free health clinic and health grants and loans for the uninsured
• Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes
• Southern Tier AIDS Program – comprehensive HIV/AIDS services, education and outreach
• Hospicare and Palliative Care Services of Tompkins County – offers palliative care services on a sliding scale (“no one will be denied care for financial reasons”), bereavement support groups and activities, and a free cancer support and information program
• FISH (Friends in Service Helping) – free, confidential, private rides to medical services for elderly, handicapped, or low-income folks – call 607.273.4545 or 866.255.6545
• Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes – online resources and a useful FAQ; guides to support groups, and free and low-cost medical services, supplies, and travel options

Transportation

• RIBs (Recycle Ithaca’s Bicycles) – “earn a bicycle with volunteer time”
• TCAT Bus: Special Fares
• Ithaca Carshare – “24/7 access to a fleet of fuel efficient vehicles without the worry or expense of car ownership”

Childcare & Parenting

• Babysitter Exchange – “Created in 2000 as a way to help young budget-conscious families connect with each other to get help with life’s every-day tasks. People now use it for babysitting, errands, carpooling, help around the house, tutoring, meal swaps, odd jobs, house sitting, caring for pets and anything else they can imagine.” The MOMS Club of Ithaca has a group on the site with 6 members.
• La Leche League of Tompkins County, New York – community meetings and breastfeeding help and information
• Ithaca Vegan Parents Network – potlucks, playgroups, childcare and resource sharing, holiday activities, advice and support
• Ithaca Doulas – have a healthier, safer, more empowering birth (not a free service)
• Fingerlakes Unschoolers Network – nonsectarian support group for people interested or involved in home education – field trips and workshops, newsletter, networking, lending library – sliding-scale membership $3-$10/year
• Zwaggle – a points-based trading network for parents and children – “You receive Zwaggle points (or Zoints) by giving your gently used things to other families, then use those Zoints to obtain “new” things for your family.”
• Mama Goose – buy / sell / trade kids’ clothing, toys, strollers, etc.

General Trade Networks

• NeighborGoods – Brand new local sharing site, still being developed
• Ithaca Craig’s List – use it often and flag the spam to keep it going strong!
• Share Tompkins Mailing List – share and trade goods, services and labor in Ithaca and Tompkins County
• Ithaca Hours – “Ithaca Hours is a local currency system that promotes local economic strength and community self-reliance in ways which will support economic and social justice, ecology, community participation and human aspirations in and around Ithaca, New York. Ithaca Hours help to keep money local, building the Ithaca economy.”
• Finger Lakes Permaculture Network Barter and Trade
• Ithaca Craigslist: Barter
• Fingerlakes Area ReUseIt Yahoo! Group
• The Freecycle Network: Active groups in the New York region
• Freebootr – “Post, search and locate free items near you and give them a new life”
• FreeSharing.org – New York state local sharing groups
• Sharing Is Giving – a directory of sharing/freecycling mailing lists, seed exchanges, and garage sale finders; several Finger Lakes groups are listed
• SwapThing – swapping
• Commuto – bartering
• FreeUse Network – local message boards to facilitate sharing (none listed for this area as of Sept. 2009)
• BorrowingCircle – small local networks of neighbors who share with each other; you can borrow three items at a time
• neighBORROW – “The site provides members of local networks access to a collective online catalog of the items they each own individually.”
• feral trade import-export – “a live shipping database for a freight network running outside commercial systems” (uses couriers, not local)

Advocacy

• Tompkins County Workers’ Center – stands up “with all people treated unfairly at work or faced with critical poverty, racial, housing, health care or other social and economic issues”
• Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County – Visit their website for listings of food pantries, emergency services, a working families resource guide, and more. They also run hotlines: “Need Help Finding Help? Call 2-1-1 or 1-877-211-8667 toll free for Information About… Housing… Transportation… Food… Health Care… Employment Services… Recreation Program… Volunteering… Other Local Services”
• Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance – “a grassroots group of Finger Lakes residents who are concerned with understanding and protecting our communities and environment from exploitation by the energy industry with regards to drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale”
• The Advocacy Center – 24-hour hotline: (607) 277-5000 and other services including crisis intervention, shelter and support, legal advocacy, examinations, and referrals
• Cayuga Lake Watershed Network – “identifies key threats to Cayuga Lake and its watershed, and advocates for solutions that support a healthy environment and vibrant communities”

Community and Education

• Ithaca Freeskool – “Brings people together to equalize the distribution of knowledge and confidence with an emphasis on skills and issues of local importance.”
• Ithacalendar – a new collaborative calendar anyone can contribute to
• Sew Green – “community gatherings, free and open to all, where sewing and needlecraft enthusiasts can share ideas and advice”
• PreparedTompkins.org – “an emerging local citizen’s initiative that embraces the necessity of preparing for the significant cultural shift taking place as we move into a post-carbon world” – articles, workshops
• Sustainable Tompkins – events, discussion list, minigrants
• TCLocal – “researching various aspects of energy descent in Tompkins County and writing up a preliminary plan for each aspect based on purely local challenges and resources”
• IthacaNet – “Dedicated to increasing the awareness of, access to, and content on the Internet – by, for, and about the people of Tompkins County, New York.”
• Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County
• Organic Volunteers – “Educational exchanges in sustainability”
• freegan.info – “strategies for sustainable living beyond capitalism”
• Green Resource Hub – sustainability seminars (suggested donation $5)
• Human Service Coalition Listserv – “share information with the entire non-profit community quickly, easily, and at no cost” – job and class listings, info on community programs
• Women’s Community Building – events, meeting space, community library, certified commercial kitchen for caterers and small scale food processors
• Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) – advocacy and “multicultural, educational and recreational programs focused on social and individual development… structured employment training opportunities for at risk youth and adults”
• Multicultural Resource Center – “information, contacts, support, workshops, books, tapes and cultural celebrations”
• Southside Community Center – lectures, camp, media arts program, low-cost animal care clinic, computer lab, cultural events
• The Importance of The Commons – trade and share intellectual property (video)

Books, DVDs, CDs

• Durland Alternatives Library – “Dedicated to providing free and open access to materials expressing viewpoints and information not readily available through the mainstream publications and mass-media sources. We are committed to providing information and educational materials to underserved and incarcerated people.”
• Silent City Distro Zine Library – “Distributes a variety of underground media. Mostly, we distribute zines. These are self-published magazines that range from photocopied & stapled, to screen printed and sewn. Zines are a space for the average person to get their voice heard & express creativity.”
• Multicultural Living Center Library – “We house lending materials of multicultural books and tapes for children, youth and adults. Our books and magazines cover a wide variety of topics and cultures. The MRC Library collection includes: fiction, ethnicity, social issues, children’s books, poetry and more! The books are for everyone to borrow, free of charge. We would love to have more books with themes such as Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, countries around the world and any other topic of a multicultural nature. If you have books around the house to donate or if you would like to check books out please stop by our office.”
• Tompkins County Public Library – “Serves community residents at each stage of their lives by providing free and open access to the world’s wisdom, knowledge, and information. The library, through its collections and professional services, fosters an informed, civic-minded community and contributes to the educational, cultural, and economic well-being of the County.”
• PaperBackSwap – “We help members Swap, Trade & Exchange Books with each other for Free… Every time you mail a book to another member, you can request one for yourself. Choose from 3,941,266 available books!” (not just paperbacks)
• BookCrossing – 804,645 people in over 130 countries giving books to strangers by leaving them in public places. “What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel. Track the book’s journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person.”
• BookMooch – earn borrowing points for giving away your books to folks in the network (by mail, not local-oriented)
• Swaptree – list your books, CDs, DVDs, and video games, and get a list of things you can trade for them; choose your items and print postage (usually less than $2.50) directly from the website to ship the ones you’re exchanging; you can also choose to swap only with local people, coworkers, or friends to avoid shipping

Tools and Construction

• Ithaca Tool Share
• Finger Lakes ReUse, Inc. – “an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the Finger Lakes region benefit from reuse” – they have a ReUse Center (prices are 50% – 90% off retail prices), and coordinate volunteer deconstructions of buildings so much of the materials can be reused
• Significant Elements – “A program of Historic Ithaca begun in 1991 to promote the reuse of architectural elements when the demolition of a building cannot be otherwise prevented. We provide an avenue for the reuse of such materials, and through our activities promote restoration and reuse instead of demolition.”

Arts and Music

• Ithaca Underground – “Ithacaunderground is an attempt at organizing a local underground scene in Ithaca, one where everyone can participate, everyone can make music, the youth are not ignored, where a community can grow, a community that can sustain itself, a community that can embrace art outside of the mainstream, where we can be different or the same, or just be, without harassment but with acceptance. This is your town, this is your scene, this is our punk rock.”
• Green Valley Artists – “The Green Valley Artists are a group of local artists located in Ithaca and the surrounding areas. They come from a variety of backgrounds, education, and experience. Green Valley Artists was formed in July 2008, with the intent to create an inclusive and affordable group for local artists to support, share, network and connect with other area artists.”
• One Heart Community Drumming – meets for open drum circle every Saturday in the NW Corner of Stewart Park starting from around 4pm until dark
• Greater Ithaca Art Trail – “You’ll find painters, photographers, sculptors, printmakers, ceramic artists, furniture designers, jewelers and glass artists. The Ithaca and Tompkins County, New York area is packed with talent. Visit our artists in their natural habitat.”
• Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County – “CAP was founded in 1990 in response to a community-wide desire to strengthen and develop the County’s arts and cultural community. CAP was launched as a not-for-profit agency that would serve the public by providing services to the arts in the County.” – they also offer artist grants

Media

• Silent City Distro – “Silent City Distro is (A) place to find often marginalized voices and perspectives. A zine library and distribution. A place to get reviews on zines, books, and films. A center of gravity for underground publication in the Fingerlakes Region.”
• Pegasys Community Television – “You-yes you! can use PEGASYS facilities to make your own TV program and to cablecast it to over 26,000 homes (67,000 residents) in Tompkins County, New York.”
• Ithaca Community Radio – “a local initiative to create a community-owned and operated radio station to serve our communities in the Finger Lakes near Ithaca and Watkins Glen”

Contribute

Know of other sites that should be on this list? Leave a comment below to tell us about it.