Yearly Archives: 2018
Happily, Vermont has Front Porch Forum
Did you hear the commentary aired on WDEV’s Friday morning news show about FPF?
In case you missed it, listen to the broadcast from Common Sense Radio commentator John McClaughry and learn why he encourages us to give a look at Front Porch Forum.
“Here’s how we’ve benefited from FPF… “
Here’s FPF-member Amy’s list… what’s your’s? Please donate today to our Supporting Member Campaign!
Bought a chair.
Got a free fridge.
Learned about the town forest.
Gave away baby gear.
Bought a desk.
Got a free music stand.
Bought a suitcase.
Re-homed my houseplants.
Found out about a garage sale.
Got some wicked awesome leaves. (Thank you Dave T!)
Publicized many events for The Coop and Forest School.
Learned about Saturday morning meditation.
Found out a hundred dogs were lost. And found!
Learned about fun stuff to do at the library.
Got a free wool blanket to make a sleeping bag.
Learned about the town plan.
Complained about squirrels.
Was reminded to check for ticks.
Gave away some tools.
Bought some mud boots.
I could really go on. Thanks Richmond! We made a donation. Thanks FPF!
Helping Older Vermonters Age Well!
Every day, neighbors connect on Front Porch Forum to post and read about events, community issues, and local goings on. Read about how Vermont neighbors and FPF have helped older Vermonters to Age Well below.
If you’ve noticed Front Porch Forum making a difference in your community, consider becoming a supporting member today by donating here.
“Thank You to Front Porch Forum for Helping Older Vermonters Age Well!
Aging well requires community. Neighbors assisting neighbors to accomplish the necessities of life ““ maintaining social connections, securing ample and healthy food, having the mobility to address life tasks such as keeping medical appointments.
Helping make this happen for older adults in Northwestern Vermont (Franklin, Addison, Chittenden and Grand Isle counties), is the core purpose of the regional nonprofit and Area Agency on Aging organization, Age Well (www.agewellvt.org). Instrumental in accomplishing our mission is our cadre of dedicated volunteers. Each week over 850 of our aging neighbors will receive at least one meal, primarily as part of our Meals on Wheels program, with over 5,000 meals served weekly. In addition, Age Well’s volunteers serve as Senior Companions and Friendly Visitors to ensure that isolation, transportation and assistance with daily living tasks are not barriers to living life to the fullest. These programs are only possible through the efforts of our incredible volunteers, now numbering over 1,100.
So what does this have to do with the Front Porch Forum? Consistently, the most productive resource for Age Well volunteer recruitment has been the FPF. As demand for Meals on Wheels has increased, so has our need for finding volunteers. During times of greatest recruitment need, the FPF team has gone the extra mile to assist in finding new volunteers, putting into action the spirit of community that is the essence of Front Porch Forum.
For the hundreds who are served by the scores of individuals who found their way to become Age Well volunteers through the FPF, we simply want to offer a sincere shout out. The Front Porch Forum is truly a remarkable community treasure.”
-Kim H., Age Well Board Chair from Mallets Bay
Join Us at Tech Jam
Join Front Porch Forum and dozens of Vermont tech firms at this year’s Vermont Tech Jam, presented by Seven Days. This free event will be held on Friday, October 19, at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction. Enjoy presentations, demos, and displays. Learn More about Tech Jam here. You can find FPF at booth G1!
The next best thing to sitting around a pot-belly stove….
Times may change, but Front Porch Forum is happy to provide a gathering place for neighbors across the state.
“Front Porch Forum is the next best thing to sitting around a pot-belly stove in the town general store. Neighbors meet neighbors, exchange ideas, ask and make recommendations, sell and buy useful items, publicize local events, find missing pets, and much, much more. We’re here for one another in the old-fashioned way. Let’s keep this Forum flourishing with a critical donation, no matter how large or small.” – Gretchen B. in Morrisville
If you value the free service that Front Porch Forum provides to your community, consider making a supporting member contribution today: https://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members.
Do you appreciate Front Porch Forum?
Need a recommendation? Having a yard sale? Looking for your lost pet? Front Porch Forum is used by Vermonters for many different reasons. But one thing that’s true for its members is that FPF connects us to one another.
If you appreciate the way Front Porch Forum helps us stay connected as a community, please consider donating to FPF’s Supporting Member Campaign this month! Track our progress with this fun leaf bag help us fill it up by the end of the month!
“I am continually amazed by the kindness of strangers and the strength of our community. Last winter, I wrote a posting on Front Porch Forum to request help digging out after a large snow storm. I’m disabled and can’t do it. Less than an hour after the FPF issue was sent out, I received TEN offers from folks wanting to help! I am so grateful and happy to live in an amazing community like this. Without FPF, I might still be snowed in. ;-)”
• Cara in Winooski
Your support allows FPF to reach even more people and continue to bring our free service to every town in Vermont. Together we’re connecting neighbors and building community.
Let’s pick for our neighbors this apple harvest season
The Vermont Foodbank reminds us to visit one of Vermont’s orchards this season and Pick for Your Neighbor! Front Porch Forum is pleased to sponsor this yearly initiative to help our neighbors. So let’s work together to help increase the amount of fresh produce available for Vermonter’s facing hunger and support our local orchards. To see a list of participating orchards visit https://www.vtfoodbank.org/event/pickforyourneighbor
Postings which generate response
From small businesses to larger non-profits and ad agencies, many agree that Front Porch Forum gets results.
“Our response has been HUGE! Thank you so much for helping us meet our recruitment goals!” • Dana at UVM College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
“The response rate of people who have said they saw the ad on FPF has been notable! So all good news!” • Nilda with Kerr Advertising
“Where do you advertise for your Burlington business? Front Porch Forum is a free, easy way to advertise.” • Alignable member, Kate, shared her thoughts under “Coffee Shop Buzz”
Better Informed Communities
Front Porch Forum Members Trust Their Neighbors.
“When it comes to informing neighbors, was there really life before FPF?” “Our community garden is thriving in its 4th season, largely because gardeners and supportive community members heard about it on Front Porch Forum. On FPF, we learn what our neighbors are thinking and doing. We participate in offerings we wouldn’t otherwise have known about. We avoid hazards we might have stumbled into if uninformed. We sell, buy, and give all manner of goods and services. I look forward to reading every issue. My responses range among curious, amused, concerned, angry, delighted, relieved, gobsmacked, inspired, and more. It takes a lot of worthy content to stimulate so much response repeatedly over time.” • Sheryl in Montpelier
Connecting with neighbors and building local community begins with being better informed. FPF stimulates that in spades. Neighbors who use Front Porch Forum to communicate are more aware of who lives around them, stay better informed about what’s happening in their communities, and are more prepared to face challenges and times of crisis.
“FPF exists to help communities become more resilient,“ says FPF co-founder, Michael Wood-Lewis. “Neighbors who know each other and communicate about what’s happening locally are far more likely to be better prepared to face tough times.”
You’ve got to know that a local issue is bubbling up if you’re going to be involved. For many Vermonters, that starts on their neighborhood or town FPF. Even knowing about the weekend’s yard sales or school sporting events via FPF leads people to getting more face-to-face time with neighbors.This leads to more connection and more involvement. Get on the local grapevine. Sign up for your local FPF. Read, and then share your perspective in a posting to neighbors.
Bree, librarian at the Westford Public Library, uses Front Porch Forum regularly to reach their patrons. From updates, special event notices and library closings, she finds FPF “reliable and easy to use. FPF is the social media outlet that reaches different generations of patrons – appealing to the whole town rather than a certain demographic or “friend” group.”
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded an independent third-party, Network Impact, to design, implement and analyze an online survey of 132,188 Front Porch Forum members in March 2017. 13,086 Vermonters completed this 20-minute survey. With a 99% confidence level, the survey results represent the full FPF membership.
IRS Scam Calls
A local police department warns neighbors and provides tips on Front Porch Forum.
“We have received several calls from elderly citizens recently regarding fraudulent “robo calls” (recorded automated phone calls) from someone claiming the recipients of the calls have not paid their taxes. They threaten police action if a payment is not made immediately.
Neither the Internal Revenue Service nor the Vermont Department of Taxes will make contact by phone and demand immediate payment for unpaid taxes. Local police, sheriff’s departments, and state police are not involved in enforcing payments of federal or state taxes.
Should you receive a call like this, do not confirm or give out personal information, simply hang up and make a report to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office at the Consumer Assistance Program site below:
You can sign up for scam alerts from the Vermont Attorney General’s Office at this site:
http://ago.vermont.gov/consumer-assistant-program-scam-alerts/
Information on this specific scam from the Internal Revenue Service:
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-urges-public-to-stay-alert-for-scam-phone-calls
Please contact your elderly friends and family members and inform them of this scam.”
• Michael with the Montpelier Police Department
Share this info on your own FPF!
About Blog
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more
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