A new initiative aimed at fostering community connections has taken root in Chelsea through the efforts of Cottage Street resident Sladja Vukovic. She has established a Buy Nothing program—a global movement where neighbors exchange free items ranging from clothing and household goods to furniture and bicycles.
As administrator of the Chelsea Facebook group, Vukovic oversees the program’s operations. “fblikebutton_button” “wp-caption alignright” “wp-caption-text” By profession, Vukovic works as a realtor in Boston.
Originally from Bosnia, Vukovic immigrated to the United States in 2008. She holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. Since 2010, she has made Chelsea her home. Her husband, Vedran Vukovic, was a standout soccer player at Chelsea High, and together they have a son named Banja.
The 31-year-old launched the Buy Nothing group two months ago to serve residents in Chelsea’s southern region, covering the area from Admiral’s Hill to Washington Avenue. Currently, she is seeking another resident willing to serve as administrator for the northern half of the city. “Currently we have 32 members in Chelsea,” “There are Facebook groups in many cities and towns in Massachusetts.” “Basically our goal is to give where you live,”
Lending and giving arrangements are flexible depending on individual items. “If you have something that you want to give to someone or if you have something you want to lend – like a jacket – you post it on a Facebook page, and if anyone else needs it, they’re going to reply and take that item for free.” “Let’s say I need to borrow something for a weekend, you can ask for it and someone can volunteer to give it you,”
Beyond physical goods, the Buy Nothing program extends to services—lawn mowing, house painting, snow plowing, landscaping, and even language instruction. Vukovic herself is multilingual, fluent in English, Serbian, and Spanish. “You can’t advertise your business in the program, but if you have a service for free that you want to provide, you can do that,”
To grow membership, Vukovic is actively marketing the group and connecting with neighbors directly. “Somerville has more than 500 members,” “But they’ve been doing it longer than we have.”
Strengthening neighborhood bonds while distributing items freely represents the core purpose of the program. “I was looking for groups on Facebook and the Buy Nothing project seemed like a great neighborhood-strengthening group,” “I searched it Chelsea and found out that the city didn’t have it. So I became an administrator and here we have it.”
Vukovic is contemplating presenting at a City Council meeting to raise awareness about the initiative. “My goal is for people to get know about this project,” “I think it’s a great way for people who have something to give, to give it to someone else for free.”
(For more information, please go to Facebook and search for: buynothingchelseasouth,ma)