Fourteen years ago, USA Weekend magazine founded Make a Difference Day with the idea that people could accomplish great things in their communities if they set aside a single day for volunteer work.
Place no limits on skill levels: carpentry, coaching, mentoring, baby-sitting.

Volunteer according to your means: individuals, families, churches, clubs, schools. Set it for a Saturday near the end of October.

A record 3 million American volunteers provided services to an estimated 23 million neighbors last year.

Organizers across the country hope Saturday's participation exceeds that, and activities, including beach cleanups and food drives, are scheduled along the Space Coast. But for some local groups, such as the Brevard County Freecycle Network, the hurricanes have turned Make a Difference Day into a routine pastime.

BCFN is loosely affiliated with Freecycle.org, a fast-growing national phenomenon in which members give away items -- clothes, appliances, books, etc. -- they no longer need. Daily postings are listed on the Internet, and one of the few rules is that no money changes hands.

Melbourne's Charlotte Hess established BCFN from scratch earlier this year. Response was so overwhelming (nearly 1,300 members at last count) that a second chapter opened up on Merritt Island. Property losses wrought by September's hurricanes coalesced its membership.

"More than a few of us lost a lot," said Hess, whose mobile home was condemned by FEMA. "So much of it were the basic things: sheets, clothes, towels, dishes, furniture, beds. Fortunately, we've got a good group of people who were here for each other, and we'd like to get even more folks involved."

For its Make a Difference Day project, BCFN is sponsoring a "free yard sale" at Veterans Memorial Park at 2200 Port Malabar Blvd., Palm Bay, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Hess says people should bring whatever they want to discard. "The only rules are, it's got to be free, it's got to be legal, and it's got to be age-appropriate," says Hess. "And no trading or selling. This is a time to pay it forward."