Even though he is no longer alive, Marc Schluter has been helping families in need since 2012.

Marc Schluter died in a car accident on Dec. 23, 1993, at the age of 16 ½, when his Jeep slid on the black ice that hugged the pavement on Red Brook Road. In the memory of the “happy-go-lucky” teen with “a big heart,” his brother Scott Schluter created the Marc Schluter Pay it Forward Facebook movement to keep the generosity his brother once showed to others around him going.

“A few of the girls were cold, and he literally gave them his sweatshirts to keep them warm,” Schluter said, referring to several young women who returned Marc’s sweatshirts to his parents at the funeral.

Since the movement began in 2012, residents of Wareham and surrounding areas have been suggesting families who are in need on the page. All recipients’ names are omitted and other residents will chime in, offering suggestions on to how to help. Residents will also directly message Schluter, who runs the yearly event page.

Those who give are referred to as “angels.” If a family needs gifts for children, one “angel” will buy them, and another “angel” will deliver them. Everything from Stop & Shop gift cards to clothes and personal hygiene products to cash have been donated.

Schluter said Facebook has been invaluable, and that “none of this would be possible” without the crowdsourcing capacity of the popular social website.

One grateful soul messaged Schluter about the difference the “angels” made in their family’s lives this holiday season: “I can't thank you enough for the help you have provided for me and my family. The gifts, hygiene products, money, and gift card will not be wasted. I appreciate the generosity of everyone involved. Thank you also for having such a dear friend deliver these gifts, I was able to hug, thank, and cry on the shoulder of someone who truly knows, understands, and loves me. That gift alone is more than I could have ever asked for. Thank you Scott, Sarah, and Marc's Angels!”

But locals’ desire to help others wasn’t born from the blue, Schluter said. The Sandy Hook shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, in 2012 was a major impetus.

“A lot of people were left wondering, ‘What can I do to help people?’” Schluter said. “They thought donating time and money in Marc’s name was the best way to do it.”

The Pay It Forward movement has slowed down a bit the past couple years. In 2013, the movement helped 10 families, and this past holiday season, it has helped five. But Schluter remains optimistic, because he believes there are no big or small charitable acts. They can be as simple as buying milk for an elderly woman, or picking up a tired stranger’s coffee tab.

Schluter has since published a book called “20 Years Later: A Celebration Of Life: A Pay it Forward/Random Acts of Kindness Story” about the loss of his brother, as well as the more than 1,000 acts of kindness by Wareham residents in Marc’s name in 2012.

“Marc would be really surprised by what he’s done,” Schluter said.

To help out a resident or family in need, contact Scott Schluter at scottschluter@gmail.com.