A group of local women has been using Facebook to spread blessings to others since earlier this year.

Maggie Partipilo, an English teacher at Waterloo High School, used to be a member of a Facebook group based in St. Louis that had a similar aim.

She invited her friend and Waterloo resident Dawn Woodall to join the group because Partipilo considered her “one of the most generous people I have ever known.”

As the St. Louis based blessings group got larger, Woodall decided it was time for her and Partipilo to start a similar one for Monroe County. 

“My husband and I lost our son in 2016, and this community wrapped their arms around us and held us tight,” Woodall explained. “I was hoping this was something I could do to give back to the community.” 

The purpose of the women-only group, which started Feb. 24 and is called Monroe County Blessings, is to give gifts to others. 

It is based on Amazon wishlists, which should include fun things group members want but do not need. The rule is a member cannot ask for any gifts, though they can ask others to share theirs. Thus, a member could share her list by replying to another post. 

A post can range from a member saying she had a bad day and wants to bless someone to asking what people’s favorite movie is.

The wishlists function in a way that givers do not need the address of those they wish to send something to. They can make the gift anonymous or send a note.  

“I love what the group has become,” Woodall said. “It’s an amazing group of ladies supporting each other and making friendships. There are a lot of posts about how an unexpected ‘blessing’ was delivered and it turned their day around. It’s making people happy.” 

The number of people the group is making happy has increased exponentially in the roughly two months it has existed. 

It started with just Partipilo and Woodall’s friends, but the group has quickly grown to over 2,000 Monroe County members. 

“It’s been neat to see that because it’s a much smaller group (compared to the St. Louis one), and a lot of people in the group know each other or know of each other,” Partipilo said. 

“I knew a lot of my friends would enjoy sending little ‘blessings’ to each other, (but) I was shocked at how fast it took off,” Woodall agreed. “The timing was perfect since COVID-19 came along. It’s a great diversion.” 

Partipilo added that although the group did not begin as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, it has helped make a difficult time easier. 

“It’s been really cool to see how it’s shifted since then because this is a way for people to stay connected and be able to give gifts to each other while still following all the rules of the pandemic,” Partipilo said. 

Before the pandemic, the group was working to include local stores and organizations like Explore Waterloo in the fun. It still plans to do that when possible. 

Regardless of if that happens, Partipilo and Woodall agreed they aim to keep the focus on giving the gifts, not receiving them. 

“Sure, it’s nice to get an unexpected gift in the mail, but it is so much more fulfilling to give that gift,” Woodall said.