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In early December, just as COVID-19 cases were spiraling in Los Angeles, Jennifer Grosso posted a request on her Buy Nothing Facebook group that struck a chord with her Atwater neighbors:
“If anyone has any old windows or doors they’d like taken off their hands, I’d be happy to come pick them up! I’ve currently got about half of what I need for a greenhouse. All conditions welcome, we’ll put some love back into anything that needs it. Would rather build from scraps than buy new (pics for reference) TIA!”
After nearly a year of illness, isolation and loss, Grosso’s simple request offered people the opportunity to do something they hadn’t in months: meet and make new friends. “People really wanted that sense of connection,” she said. “When I met people curbside, I could tell they really wanted to talk.”