As the cost of living climbs and even basic needs slip out of reach, one Alachua County resident found a simple answer: a shed.
“I feel like just everyone’s out to get you financially and it’s so hard,” said Kaylyn Turner, 24, founder of The Giving Shed. “I decided why not do something for free where it can help everybody.”
The Giving Shed, located at 12913 SW 121st Ave., is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m..
Turner and her husband started it as a donation-based resource where residents can drop off household items for anyone to pick up at no cost and with no judgment. From diapers to kitchen appliances to children’s toys, the shed has become a resource for neighbors navigating financial strain, she said.
Turner said her own struggles shaped part of the idea.
“There were just times that it was really hard,” she said. “So, for this it’s like why not get help if you can.”
She first floated the idea on Gainesville Word of Mouth, a community Facebook group, and has since seen it blow up with over 140,000 views on her personal page alone in just the first week, she said.
“Honestly, I had envisioned it to be like a take a book, leave a book kind of thing,” she said. “I love that it has gotten to the size that it is.”
What Turner didn’t expect was how quickly others would step in to help her vision grow. One neighbor, Ariel Snyder, 23, saw her post online and not only found a few personal items to donate, but reached out again days later with so many more items that Turner’s SUV couldn’t even hold them, Turner said.
Snyder collected items from her entire apartment complex to help donate to the shed.
She expressed the feeling of struggling as a new parent and remembered the people that helped her during those times, she said.
“I was like, hey, you know, various people did help me and did give me these items,” she said. “And I was like, I can definitely pass it on to other people because that’s what happened to me.”
For Snyder, The Giving Shed has become more than just a place for donations. It also promotes recycling and sustainability, giving items a second life instead of sending them to landfills.
“It’s a way to create a more environmentally friendly thing,” she said. “I don’t have to buy new… I’m just going to use it for nine, ten months. Why buy it from Walmart and create more waste?”
Snyder said the shed also acts as a safety net for families who struggle to cover basic needs.
“It gives an opportunity to low-income families who do need the support from the community and don’t have any backup,” she said.
She said the shed fosters an idea of general sharing, helping stretch limited resources further.
“People do have a lot to give, and people do need a lot of things,” Snyder said. “It’s like a give-and-take relationship.”
Since opening, Turner said people have been in and out of the shed daily, and she has been thankful for the steady stream of donations that allow her to keep restocking without running low.
She also prioritizes discretion and comfort for its users. She tries not to stay on-site when people are picking up items and wants everyone to feel safe and unobserved, she said.
“Don’t feel uncomfortable. It’s for everybody, anybody,” she said. “Homeless, not homeless, rich, I don’t care if you need something, come get it, it’s for absolutely everybody.”
As donations increased, so did the need for more space.
A new 12-by-24-foot shed is being donated to The Giving Shed by a local resident.
“She’s donating the shed completely for free,” she said. “It’s double the size that we have.”
The larger shed will be placed in front of the house so even more items can be stored and accessed.
With the project growing, Turner’s goals have expanded, too.
She envisions partnering with local organizations and churches to open additional locations in surrounding areas, including Newberry and Archer, to reach more residents in need, she said.
“I hope that this keeps getting bigger and reaches who it needs to reach, and that everyone maintains their respectfulness to it so that we can keep growing,” she said.
For Turner, the unity the project has created between the community has been the most rewarding part, she said. And being able to see the impact it has on the people who rely on it.
“There was actually a woman that commented today…I had saved clothes for her kid that had, they had a fire,” she said.
She paused, smiling.
“I just hope they feel thankful and feel that, oh, finally I’m not going to struggle, I get help,” she said. “It is just a sense of relief.”