FAQ

Widows Lost & Found is an online message board for widows. Our group is hosted on Discord, a social media platform. Don't be intimidated by learning a new platform. It's a lot like a Facebook group (but better). Just join in; we're sure you'll pick it up quickly. Many of our members never used Discord prior to joining our group. 

In the words of Monica Geller, "Rules are good! Rules control the fun!" 

Here are some rules to help make this group the best it can be. 

You must be a widow to be a member of this community. However, our definition of “widow” is inclusive of anyone who has lost their person or partner. 

1. Be Kind 

We're all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Treat everyone with respect, and do not judge others. If you’re not sure if what you’re saying is kind, it probably isn’t.

2. No Hate Speech or Bullying

We’re here to lift up one another. Bullying of any kind isn't allowed, and degrading comments will not be tolerated.

3. No Promotions or Spam

Give more than you take to this group. Self-promotion, spam, and irrelevant links aren't allowed and will be removed at the discretion of the admin.

4. Help One Another

For this group to “work,” we all have to pitch in. Ask questions, answer questions, and be there for others. 

5. Respect Everyone's Privacy

Being part of this group requires mutual trust. Please respect the privacy of your fellow group members. What's shared in the group should stay in the group.

If you are a widow, then yes! Our definition of “widow” is inclusive of anyone who has lost their person or partner, regardless of gender or marital status. Whether you've been widowed for 50 years or 5 minutes, this group is made especially for you. We're on a mission to connect 100 widows in 2021 because those who've lost their person deserve to find community. 

Our small-but-mighty community currently consists of around 30 members. Our ages range from 20-60+ and we live all over the world. Some of us are parents, some were never married, some are dating again... but we all lost our partner. 

If you are a widow, chances are there's someone like you in our group. 

Widows Lost & Found is a free-forever online community. 

To show your appreciation and help keep it free forever, you can Buy Me a Coffee.* 

Hi, I'm Kat! You can find me on Instagram @klcombs95 or #whosthatwidowitskat. I started Widows Lost & Found in the spring of 2021 after my husband died from COVID-19 just one week before his 26th birthday. As a very young widow, I felt so alone in my grief, and I resolved to help others have a community to combat their own loneliness in the midst of loss. ⁠As founder and content creator, I work to facilitate discussion on our Discord server and create Instagram content that connects widows and educates friends of widows. 

Discord is a social media platform originally built for gamers. It's a lot like a Facebook group (but better). 

We chose Discord as the home of our group for a couple of reasons: 

1. We don't want to require someone to join a public social media platform like Facebook in order to join the conversation. Discord allows anonymity where Facebook does not. 

2. As our group grows, we want the online platform to be scalable. Discord makes it easy to create new channels (read: message boards) as needed without junking up anyone's feed. 

Many of our members never used Discord prior to joining our group. 

If you're hesitant, check out the Complete Beginner's Guide to Discord.

Since our group is hosted on Discord, you have to create an account with Discord to participate. 

If you want to learn more about Discord, you can check out their documentation here. 

We consider our Instagram followers part of our community, too. If you're not quite ready to join us on Discord, you're welcome to participate by following us on Instagram and interacting with us there. 

First, thank you so much for caring about our community. We're honored to have you in our corner. 

Non-widows can participate in these ways: 

• Follow @widowslostandfound on Instagram. Any engagement helps us reach more people, so like, comment, and share to your heart's desire! 

• Share our content with your own network. If you know a widow, please tell them about our group. 

• Provide financial support via Buy Me A Coffee. This supports the costs of running this group like email and web hosting, content creation services, care packages for widows, and more.