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56 °F 5 Day Forecast Tuesday, December 23, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 7, 2003 Annie Walton, 4, of Medford has her eye on a kitten brought to the second annual Abundance Swap in Ashland Saturday. The kitten was among the more unusual items brought to the swap. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Sharing the abundance Holiday swappers trade treasures and talk at second annual swap in Ashland By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Meg Sprouse was lugging around a big stuffed bear and a bigger smile. The satisfied holiday swapper was one of about 300 attending the second annual Abundance Swap held Saturday at the First United Methodist Church. "I really like the idea of being able to trade things back and forth between people, and finding out more about the people in our community," said the Talent resident. "It’s a real ‘feel good’ event. Everybody is smiling." True story. The church hall was filled with holiday spirit. There were no money changers, only exchanged items along with smiles, of course. Sprouse dropped off books, clothing and pottery; her husband brought a CD-ROM, books and a pair of binoculars. Advertisement "The bear is a gift for one of my co-workers," she said. The idea behind the Abundance Swap is to reduce new purchases, explained Jeff Golden, one of the event’s founders. He hosts a local public radio talk show which has listeners throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California. "It’s all about giving," he said. "You give things by bringing them here, and you take things away in order to give them." The idea was not to measure the relative value of what participants bring compared to what they may have left with, he said. "We are trying to grow this event slowly," he said, noting that there are few restrictions other than to participate in the spirit of giving. "We’re trying not to tell people how to do this," he added. "But we are emphasizing abundance and community." One rule was to not just drop off something and leave. "We want people to connect a little with people who are taking the items," he said. "Our hope is that they will take them and then give them away for the holidays." Golden brought an old porcelain tea maker, wall art and a lama jacket he recently brought back from Ecuador. He didn’t take anything, but he did connect with plenty of swap attendees. Organizers don’t believe the Abundance Swap will stop the mob of shoppers that flock to the stores this time of year. "But we do want to give people another choice," Golden said. That choice appears to be spreading. Residents in Grass Valley, Calif., held their first Abundance Swap on Friday, an event patterned after the original held in Ashland last year. "It was great — we had about 50 people," reported organizer Susan Nance, a family therapist in Grass Valley. She got the idea after visiting relatives in Ashland last Christmas. The slogan for the Grass Valley event was "bring what you can, take what you need." "People brought really high quality, wonderful things they didn’t need," Nance said. "Everybody thought it was a great idea. We’ll definitely be doing it again next year." So will the participants in the Ashland event, who chatted with each other and browsed over everything from books to sweaters, clocks to jigsaw puzzles, even a couple of sleepy kittens that had been rescued. Medford resident Annie Walton, 4, had her eyes on one of the kittens but her father, David Walton, gently nixed the idea. But he picked up a child’s atlas for his two young daughters to pore over. He also acquired a wide-brimmed garden hat for his wife. "I was told by the person who brought it in that it came from Guate-mala," he said. In exchange, he dropped off a National Geographic children’s learning book and a bicycle helmet. The event promotes good values, he said. "I like the idea of exchanging gifts but most of us have so much stuff," he said. "Trading something you don’t use for something as a gift is a really good idea." Ashland resident Nancy Bloom, who noted it was difficult settling on what to bring in exchange, chose a book about cooking with chocolate. "I’m still swapping so I’ll only talk briefly because I don’t want to miss out on anything," she said, adding, "There sure are some unusual items here." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times