SUMMERDALE — In a dimly lit Summerdale coffee shop, women fill the room with laughter and talks of life. One might think they are lifelong friends, but it was only a few months ago when their paths crossed.

Elaine Micire formed Baldwin County Female Friends Group (BCFFG) one year ago to give women aged 18 and up the opportunity to find camaraderie with other women across the county.

Originally from Ohio, Micire moved to Baldwin County five years ago and found that making new friends was not easy.

“Between getting settled and COVID-19, it was extremely difficult to meet people,” Micire said. “You have a culture down here of all different types of people from other areas, and it seemed like there was a lot of social anxiety and fear in the beginning.”

To spread the word of this new group, Micire posted to Facebook, inviting women to come together.

To date, the group has close to 2,500 members.

“We include everybody,” Micire said. “We have a weekly coffee event every Thursday at Central Perk Café in Summerdale, we go to karaoke, we have couple events, painting classes and all kinds of things.”

Members of the BCFFG are included in a group chat that allows them to communicate freely about plans, interests and more. Micire noted that some members will create pop up events that are open to anyone.

“The majority of the women are new to the area,” she said. “We have helped them find where things are around the community, and they just love that because otherwise, they wouldn’t venture out. I was really shocked when I started the group and saw how many people had gotten used to not understanding the value of friendship, between being stuck at home and working.”

On March 28, over 15 women gathered inside Central Perk Café in Summerdale to sip coffee and catch up on what their week has been like.

Gina McCune came to Baldwin County from Columbus, Georgia. After working remotely, she said she was ready to venture out and meet new people.

“I just have to have lady friends, and it was hard to meet people,” McCune said. “I started searching for meetups and found this group on Facebook. The first meetup I went to, it was three ladies, and now we are at over 2,400 members.”

To McCune, this group is more than forming bonds. It is a necessity.

“I think that we need each other,” she said. “We talk about what we are living through, and we get each other through. It is such a safe space, and I think women just need that. We support each other, and we need to celebrate each other with no hidden agenda and no competition.”

The group is free to join.

Micire said BCFFG has allowed women to find others who have the same interests and even form a closeness that go beyond the group.

“It is just amazing how people have been able to find other people that have the same ideas they do,” she said. “It is just wonderful, and this is for you to find friends.”