Paying it forward with Curbza

Some people think the world is an increasingly hostile place; here at Curbza, we know this isn’t true. Bad news may flood the front pages of media outlets, but behind the scenes there are always incredible examples of compassionate people coming together to help their friends, neighbors and even complete strangers. It could be a large-scale crisis like an earthquake, forest fire, or people being displaced from war-torn countries. It could be a more personal difficulty like being laid off from a job, or not being able to pay for all three kids new gym sneakers for the first day of school. Either way, it’s not uncommon to hear every day people asking, “what can we do to help?” This is a beautiful thing, and Curbza is ready to help you, help others.

Curbza has launched a new feature called Help Networks that makes lending a hand a whole lot easier. For every area where Curbza is available, we’ll have a Help Network attached where members can list free items they think could be more useful to another member of their community.

Whether you’re a freshman who needs a couch for your first apartment, a single mom who needs new clothes for the kids (who seem to be a new size every month), or someone who has a garage full of stuff just waiting to be cleared out, there’s always a good reason to join a Help Network in your area.

We live in a world where everything’s always changing. Kids grow out of their clothes, new versions of computers and mobile phones are constantly being released, and shopping is considered a pass time. There’s always extra stuff floating around, and we all know how freeing it can be to get rid of that unwanted stuff that’s taking up room in not only your physical space, but your head. Getting rid of stuff can be hard to do, we can’t deny that. It takes effort to actually bag the stuff up and take it to a donation box. There’s also the emotional drain of letting go of things that can ignite nostalgia It’s not always easy, and there are tons of reasons we hang on to things longer than we need to. But what if we knew there was someone out there who needed the exact item we have cluttering up the junk drawer and haven’t used in three years? Most of us might drag it out, dust it off and hand it over, taking pride in knowing someone else will get joy out of that thing we never use.

Yeah, it’s still going to take effort to grab the item and commit to getting rid of it, but Curbza is going to make the process of finding it a home so much easier. Joining a Help Network is super simple, and we want to keep it so easy that we’ll give you step-by-step instructions. Take note of how short the instructions are. Did I mention it was really easy?

First, you’ll need an account. The word “account” can be daunting, because registering an account can be annoying and time consuming. We’ve taken this into consideration, and made the sign-up process quick and painless. All you need is an e-mail address and a name. If you want to customize your profile with other details, you can do that anytime. We just need your name and e-mail address to confirm you are indeed a real person. We pride ourselves on being the most secure platform available, and fostering safe communities with real, confirmed people attached to usernames is important to us.

After you get your account all straightened out, all you have to do is open your mobile camera and take a picture of whatever it is you want to sell. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, right? Don’t throw away that old set of snowshoes you retired when you got your snowmobile, snap a picture and post it on Curbza! When you open your camera, it’ll give you the option of taking as many pictures as you want, and attaching a name to the item. When you’ve done that, simply send it to the network in your area. Some people choose to browse networks to see what’s available, and other people make posts requesting a certain item.

As you can see, it’s really no sweat re-homing your old stuff. Decluttering can be intimidating, but with Curbza helping the process and giving you the chance to help another person, doesn’t it seem a little more rewarding? Download the app, and start snapping! Have you ever had a really fulfilling “pay-it-forward” moment? Please, share it with us below! We’re always looking for another reason to smile.