MOUNT PLEASANT — A group of moms in Racine County is working together to make meeting family needs easier — and completely free.
The effort is called Racine County Share and Swap, a community-led initiative making clothing, toys, and household goods accessible to families in the area at no cost.
Organizers Emilee Davidson, Rylie Mulke and Ashley Gowin started the program to serve moms specifically. It has since expanded to offer kids' and men's clothing, toys, and even things like bedding.
"We have everything you could probably think of, and maybe a little bit more," Davidson said.
Organizers also say it's a way to connect with others and make a difference in their community.
"We have people that come every day that we're open," Mulke said.
The group collects donations at two different sites. Those donations are then made available at a browsing location at Mulke's Mount Pleasant home, as well as at community pop-ups throughout the area, including at Festival Park and Ambitious Vibes Candle Bar.
WATCH: Racine area moms start swap and share effort to connect, meet community needs
The program is fueled largely by social media. Their Facebook page, which started about seven months ago, has grown to about 1,000 followers.
"It's pretty crazy," Mulke said.
Now organizers are working to become a nonprofit and create a more consistent schedule for browsing and pop-ups.
"It puts a smile on my face, for sure, that that many people want to support us," Mulke said.
Share and Swap has also stepped up during times of crisis, recently helping families impacted by an apartment fire in Sturtevant and flooding in April.
"We're still getting people who need help that reach out, because they're realizing the extent of all the damage of everything," Davidson said.
Beyond helping others, the organizers say the effort has also been meaningful to them personally — offering a sense of community that can be hard to find during early parenthood.
"Yes, we're helping the community. But it also helped us to find our community," Mulke said.
Their mission is simple: donate what you can, take what you need. And make friends along the way.
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