Meet the two best friends behind this 'Pay it Forward' Facebook group
Two best friends are bringing together Broome County residents in need of Christmas presents online with other residents who can help them fulfill their Christmas wishes.
“We just want people to get their needs or their wants met,” said Tiffany Bishop of Sanitaria Springs. “It takes a community. We’re all here for a reason.”
Bishop and her best friend, Ruby Doster; run Broome County Pay It Forward Holiday Help, a Facebook group where people can post what they need for Christmas. Other group members can help them get what they need.
“It’s like the 'buy nothing' groups,” Doster said.
The site is one of six different Broome County Pay It Forward Groups. That includes the main group, one for mothers in need of diapers and formula, one for infants and toddlers, one for school age children, one for adults and the holiday group now in full swing this month, Bishop said.
People in need post the size of their family and the items that they need for their holiday. Other group members step up to help, she said.
“There’s always people who need things at holiday time,” she said. “We try to keep it simple.”
Bishop started the main group 10 years ago. She had two children at the time and wanted to clean up her house and trade in the clothes the children had outgrown, she said.
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“The goal of this was keeping things out of the landfill,” Bishop said. “When we started, it was supposed to be pay it forward or trade.”
Bishop was soon joined by her best friend, Doster, to help run the group.
“It’s my brain child but it’s our baby,” Bishop said of the groups.
Eventually, they stopped allowing people to trade items. Now everything is given away to people who need it, she said.
Approximately 3,000 to 5,000 people participate in the groups, Bishop said. Numbers vary depending on the time of the year. The holiday group is very active this time of the year.
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Sometimes people need help but don’t know where to find it or feel ashamed to seek help. It may be easier for them to post in the Pay It Forward Facebook group, Bishop said.
“It’s so hard to ask for help sometimes,” she said.
Fortunately, many group members sometimes post information about local agencies that can help people in need, Bishop said.
The two women are always looking for ways to improve their site so they can help more people.
“It’s a work in progress always,” Bishop said. “We’re always evolving.”
Often, people who’ve gotten help from the group will thank the group members or share happy stories online, Bishop said.
“It’s wonderful,” she said. “It makes all the headaches worth it.”
Doster is a Conklin native now living in Virginia Beach, Va. But she still helps administer the sites from her computer.
“I still want to be active up there in the community that I am from,” she said. “I want to help my friends even though I am so far away.”
More about Tiffany Bishop
Home: Sanitaria Springs
Hometown: Binghamton
Family: Five children
Career: Self-employed house cleaner
More about Ruby Doster
Home: Virginia Beach, Va.
Hometown: Conklin
Family: Husband, Dan; three sons
Career: Cashier and seasonal worker
How to help
Find Broome County Pay It Forward on Facebook
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Families in need turn to this Broome Facebook group for holiday help
