Julia Reyes' son struggles in math, but she can't afford a tutor. Luckily, her bank is there to help. She'll have to pay the bank back, but since it accepts good deeds as payment, Reyes doesn't mind at all.

Reyes lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan and belongs to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York Time Bank, where one hour of service of any kind earns a member one ''time dollar'' to spend on services provided by other members, or on discounts in neighborhood restaurants and stores.

''I feel lucky to have the opportunity to give back to my community,'' said Reyes. ``What do I get in return? Happiness and joy. Every member is doing this happily and from the heart.''

THE RIGHT TIME

As the global economy tanks, time banks (which do not offer traditional services such as checking and savings accounts) are popping up across the country. There are 95 banks in 32 states -- none of them in Florida -- according to Time Banks USA (www.timebanks.org). Roughly half of them sprouted up this past year. The nonprofit organization has received 70 requests for time bank start-up kits since last September.

''There has been a lot of interest in time banks in Ohio recently because of the job market there,'' said Jen Moore of Time Banks U.S.A.

Tony Budak, who runs a time bank in Youngstown, Ohio, is advising five people who want to start up time banks in and around the Cleveland area. He also expects to see a spike in membership at his Youngstown time bank, especially after recent layoffs at a nearby General Motors plant.

''People are motivated by the insecurity of not having a job and they're wondering what they should do next,'' said Budak. ``They look for comfort, they look for support systems, they look for assets in other people, and time banks are there for them.''

Although Banji Panchumarti didn't lose his job as a computer programmer, he says he saw the signs of foreclosure up and down his block in Medina, a suburb of Cleveland. The economy, however, wasn't his main motivation for starting up a time bank last month. He says he simply wants to build community.

WANTS TO HELP

''I really want people to help each other,'' said Panchumarti, who plans to earn his time dollars by repairing members' computers.

Last month, Reyes logged 10 hours at the Visiting Nurses time bank in New York by planning the time bank's monthly potluck, providing companionship for an elderly member, and giving dance lessons -- she is expert in merengue, salsa and reggae, as well as a popular Dominican dance called bachata.

Reyes cashed in her time dollars for math tutoring for her son Carlos, repair work on her computer and discounts on photo development at a local shop.

''There is no way I could afford these services on my salary,'' said Reyes, a single mother of two children. ``I don't know what I would do without the time bank.''

Time banking is the creation of Edgar S. Cahn, a former speechwriter for Robert Kennedy and social-justice lawyer who founded the Antioch School of Law. The idea came to him after he suffered a severe heart attack in 1980 at the age of 46.

Cahn felt helpless lying in a hospital bed, unable to do anything in return for the people who were helping him recover. He thought people who had long been the recipients of aid might feel the same helplessness, so he devised a plan to create a social service system in which people have the opportunity to give as well as receive.