by Justin Wm. Moyer

“On a recent spring morning, Susan Alexander left her Maryland home, climbed into her Volkswagen Passat and drove about three miles to pick up two strangers. She battled rush-hour traffic on the Capital Beltway and George Washington Memorial Parkway before dropping them off curbside at Reagan National Airport.

“She didn’t earn a dime for her trouble, and that was the point.

“There and back, the trip took about 90 minutes — worth about $40 if Alexander, a retired government intelligence analyst, were an Uber driver. Instead, she’s a member of the Silver Spring Time Bank — one of more than 100 such exchanges around the world trying to build community by exchanging time credits for services instead of dollars and cents.

“‘I have time,’ she said. ‘I like giving the gift of time to other people.’”

Continue reading this Washington Post article in its entirety here.”

Timebanking Basics

Timebanking is a time-based currency. Give one hour of service to another, and receive one time credit. You can use the credits in turn to receive services — or you can donate them to others.

An hour of service is always one time credit regardless of the nature of the service performed.

Here’s more information about “how to start a Timebank.”

There’s a Timebank in Phoenixville and one in Allentown and one in York.

SOURCE: Timebanks.org