One of my favorite things about the PRA community is our “giving table”—a name I uncreatively made up for the purposes of this blog post.
The table is located in our upstairs kitchen, conveniently located next to the coffee machine. While it does often serve its purpose as a place for people to prepare and eat their meals, its second life is what really makes the table shine.
Did you have a party over the weekend and now are faced with three dozen leftover cupcakes? Bring them to the giving table and they will be gone in 20 minutes.
Did you clean out your attic and find an old pair of ice skates that are old but still useable? Drop them off on the giving table for a coworker to use.
Did you konmari your books and magazines? Bring your discards to the giving table so they can find a new home.
I’ve left and taken so many items from the giving table over the past 4 years at PRA. Some of my more recent acquisitions include corn meal, a waffle maker, and magazines (let’s not talk about the cookies and other baked goods I have devoured over the past few years). In turn, I’ve given headphones, cosmetics, books, and treats from my travels.
The giving table is rarely talked about (at least, no one is talking about it with me), but I love this small act of community that we participate in. The environmentalist in me loves that when someone cleans out a room or a drawer at home, they think that this item would be better suited to use by someone else, rather than being discarded in a trash bin. The sentimentalist in me appreciates that we think of each other when we clean out our drawers and closets.
I am so thankful to work in a place where I am surrounded by coworkers who think of each other when they go home for the day. Who knew a table could hold so many small acts of kindness?