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There’s an old proverb that says necessity is the mother of invention.

For 21-year-old Brooklyn Ramos, an idea has grown exponentially.

A Facebook group she started – Free Things in Winchester – has exceeded 3100 members after being operated for just a few years.

“I really didn’t think that I would get that much people in my group just because … we are a small town,” said Ramos. “We’ve helped many people, and that’s the biggest thing.”

Ramos, who works in law enforcement with Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington and is actively gaining experience with the hope of becoming a probation and parole officer, graduated high school early, moved out and got a job in the fast food industry.

She quickly realized that, while in need, she didn’t have the funds to cover certain purchases.

“I just couldn’t find anything for cheap. I would look on Facebook Marketplace, Letgo, eBay, [and more],” she said. “I would go to look around, see if I can find anything laying out on the side of the road – maybe someone threw it out – give it a little love and make it something of my own. I came to realize that people have stuff in their homes all the time [that] they don’t want.”

From that realization, the group “Free Things in Winchester” was created, with Ramos herself contributing items from her home on multiple occasions.

At first, membership growth was slow.

However, it wasn’t long before numbers started to increase rapidly.

“I invited all my family. They supported me about it”, she said. “They encouraged their friends to support it. It’s kind of like a chain effect …  everyone just started joining.”

Though only a few posts per month occurred initially, it’s not uncommon to see people post daily about items they’d be willing to part with.

“I think within this last week we’ve had [approximately] 68 posts throughout the entire page,” Ramos added.

As seen on the Facebook page, multiple items to be given away have been featured in posts.

Clothing and hardware – including tables – are commonplace.

However, a bevy of unique choices have also been included.

Among them, a car was even featured on one occasion.

Ramos welcomes all to the site, referring to it as judgment-free.

“I really want to see a lot of people using this page as a way to fulfill their needs,” she said. “I don’t want them to feel embarrassed. There is absolutely no bullying or harassment tolerated. If you’re too shy to ask for something, you can do it anonymously.”

While acknowledging that, unfortunately, some have tried to bait-and-switch others by offering a free product and then stating it’s for sale, she notes that there are steps to ensure ethical considerations are a priority.

“We have set rules in place,” she said. “[Let’s] say you post something on there, somebody wants it, and then you say, ‘Oh, it’s not free, it’s $25.’ You [would be] automatically banned from our group.”