Need someone to crochet a baby blanket? Drive you to an appointment? Help with yard work? Teach you a skill?
In one Columbus community, the answer might not involve opening your wallet at all. Instead, people exchange time.
The idea recently caught attention online after a post from the Care and Share Time Bank shared the story of a Columbus woman who wanted to give her lifelong best friend a handmade crocheted baby blanket for an upcoming shower, despite not knowing how to crochet herself.
Through the group, she connected with another member who took on the project. The two exchanged supplies, patterns, and eventually 36 “time bank hours” for the completed blanket. According to the post, the gift became one of the highlights of the baby shower.
The Care and Share Time Bank is part of the broader international “time banking” movement, where people exchange services using hours instead of money. One hour of work equals one hour of credit, regardless of the task being performed. Members earn credits by helping others, then spend those credits when they need help themselves.
Unlike bartering, exchanges don’t have to happen directly between two people.
Someone might earn hours helping with gardening, then later use those credits for tutoring, tech help, transportation, sewing, home repairs, or childcare.
The Columbus-based group has existed since 2012 and now includes more than 560 members with tens of thousands of service hours exchanged.
According to the organization, the goal goes beyond simply saving money. Time banking is designed to strengthen communities by encouraging neighbors to share skills, resources, and relationships that might not otherwise exist.
And the range of services people offer is surprisingly broad.
Listings include everything from gardening and home maintenance to cooking, transportation assistance, tech support, crafting, companionship, and tutoring. The group also hosts monthly potlucks and community gatherings in Columbus to help members connect offline.
In a time when many people feel increasingly isolated from their neighbors, and when nearly every favor seems to come attached to a price tag, the idea of trading time instead of money feels unexpectedly refreshing.
The organization describes itself as “building community one hour at a time,” and judging from the reactions to that crocheted baby blanket, the model clearly resonates with people looking for something a little more personal than a typical transaction.
More information about joining the Care and Share Time Bank is available through the group’s online portal and community meetings.
