Category Archives: Borrow and Lend

“People don’t believe communities like ours exist”

Posted on Monday, July 21, 2008 by • No comments yet

Bonnie posted the following note of appreciation to her town neighbors on Front Porch Forum today…

Dearest Neighbors, Thank you so much John for offering your Subaru.  Your generosity is amazing.

Thank you all so much.  I’m humbled to think about how many people living in our community, were willing to help me out.  Many many thanks!

I’ve told people (away from home) of my car problem, and how it’s been solved with the help of neighbors in my community through the Front Porch Forum.  People are in awe, and most don’t believe that communities like ours exist.

With love and gratitude, Bonnie

She was stuck without her car for a period of weeks and needed a way to commute to work.  She reached out to her neighbors and cobbled together a number of free loaners… problem solved… sense of community enhanced.  That’s what FPF is all about.

Borrow a car on short notice… no problem

Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2008 by • No comments yet

Providing less than 24 hours advanced warning, Bonnie in Huntington posted the following the other day…

Hi Neighbors – My car died yesterday, and for the first time in years I’m without car. I must admit it’s liberating, but the only trouble is, that I need to get to work tomorrow, Saturday, June 28. I was wondering if anyone might have a car I would be able to borrow for the day? I leave at 8:30Am and return at 8:00Pm.

I figured this was too much to ask with too little lead time.  So I was pleasantly surprised to read her follow-up posting today…

Hi Neighbors – I’d like to thank you all so much, for the overwhelming response to my request to borrow a car for the day.

Work went well, and I got to drive around in Jim H.’s bright yellow Chevy.  I was a hit with every teenage boy in Burlington and Shelburne.  The car is for sale, if you know anyone that might be interested.

The Huntington Front Porch Forum is a great way for our community to continue to be the very special place it is.

Thanks much, Bonnie

Neighbors Rain Down Canoes on Local Girls

Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by • No comments yet

I received a wonderful note recently from Sharon, a Front Porch Forum member in South Burlington, VT…

I have a FPF experience that might be worth sharing.  For her 14th birthday, my daughter wanted to do a day long canoe excursion with several of her friends.  I had noticed during my walks through our neighborhood that several of my neighbors owned canoes (some that did not appear to get a lot of regular use).  I decided to put-out a request to see if folks would be willing to lend-out their canoes for a day.  I needed about 4.

I was so excited, as I received more offers than expected.  Several folks let me stop in at my leisure to pick-up and drop-off the canoes.  They also lent me paddles and life vest.  My daughter and her friends had a great time.  Also, thanks to my neighbors and FPF, we saved about $200.00 in canoe rental costs!

And coincidentally, Sharon won a gift card at a local kids’ store in a Front Porch Forum raffle.  She wrote in to say…

Thanks to my big Kid’s Town win, I’m somewhat a celeb with my neighbors as well as with friends from other neighborhoods who participate in FPF.  It really is pretty amazing how FPF connects so many folks on a neighborly level.

What’s “Allowed” on Front Porch Forum?

Posted on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 by • 1 comment

We get this question all the time from members… “What can I post on my neighborhood’s Front Porch Forum?”

Well… just about anything. Have at it. Any message that doesn’t significantly detract from FPF’s mission of helping neighbors connect and foster community within the neighborhood is GREAT.

Think of a block party… what would you chat about with your neighbors… just about anything. (Just don’t be a bore. Posting about your real estate business once is wonderful. Posting about it once a week is the wrong idea.)

Politics? Religion? Well, if you’d feel comfortable bringing it up at the “block party,” then give it a shot. Keep in mind that all postings are automatically signed with your full name and the street you live on… and they only go to your nearby neighbors.

The point is to get neighborhood conversation flowing… online at first, but ultimately in person. From the virtual to the actual front porch. So please post! Here are some headlines from a variety of neighborhood forums over the past few days…

  • 2 days left in Richmond CFL challenge!
  • Another Neighbor Joins Forum
  • APARTMENT AVAILABLE
  • Appropriate use of Volunteer Forum?
  • Babysitter needed
  • Benefit Dinner for Refugee Resettlement Jan. 11
  • Bob’s iPod Found
  • Break-Ins in Nearby Neighborhoods
  • Building Codes, Ethan Allen, etc.
  • buildings and restoration
  • Burlington Schools Survey for all Residents
  • Burlington Telecom ***Special Offer***
  • car break-in
  • Cards Anyone?
  • CATAMOUNT HEALTH FOR UNINSURED Jan. 7
  • CFL Question
  • CFL website
  • Children Product Recalls
  • Community Center Date Correction
  • Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb Question
  • Contra Dance Jan. 12
  • Down-sizing Sale Jan. 5
  • drumming for marathon (Memorial Day Weekend)
  • Experience with Sears
  • Five Sisters House for rent
  • FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS – CORRECTION
  • Free Furniture and Seeking Truck Rental
  • Free Parent Workshop Jan. 15
  • free press delivery comments
  • Free Press Response to Delivery Issues
  • free printer ink cartridges
  • garbage collection this week
  • Great UVM Exercise Class for 55 Plus!
  • Green Democratic Alliance Meeting Jan. 6
  • Grow-light system for sale
  • Happy New year
  • HCS Budget Meetings and Community Invitation
  • Historic Preservation Comment
  • Homeopathy Class in Essex
  • House sitter recommended
  • Housecleaner recommended
  • Ice rink update
  • In Defense of Home Rehab Comments
  • kids poles lost at Cochrans Friday
  • Lakeside Photos
  • LEAD ABATEMENT PROGRAM
  • Legislative Forum Jan. 2
  • Library Event
  • Library Newsletter
  • Library Trustee position open
  • Lost Gloves Project
  • Lost your house(?) key?
  • Loveseat Barter; Seeking Kittens
  • Lyric Theatre Company Auditions
  • Main St. Sidewalk Conditions
  • Mantle for Sale
  • Miniature poodle needs good home
  • Misc. For Sale
  • Moran Plant Meetings and Police Chief Hiring
  • More Neighbors Join Forum
  • More on Black cat
  • Music and potluck Jan. 4
  • myths about cats
  • Neighborhood Owl
  • Neighborhood sign replacement
  • Neighborhood Theft
  • New member
  • New Parks and Rec Programs
  • one more – REPLACEMENT WINDOWS AND OFF COLORS
  • Package Delivery Perspective
  • Planet Huntington in January
  • Plumber recommendations please!
  • Police Response to Break-Ins
  • QUICK BITE ON FIRST NIGHT
  • Roof Snow Idea Appreciation
  • Sandals Needed
  • School Survey Feedback
  • Seamstress Follow Up
  • Season pass to Smugglers Notch for Sale
  • Seeking Before-the-Bell Childcare
  • Seeking computer repair
  • Seeking Crayons
  • Seeking Good Sitter
  • Seeking grow lights
  • SEEKING LOST HAT
  • Seeking Puppy training and socialization
  • Seeking Snow Ban Parking Solution
  • Seeking snowplow service recommendations
  • Snow Ban Parking Ideas
  • Snow Issues and Business Appreciation
  • Snow on Roof
  • Snowblower questions
  • Special Thank you to…
  • still seeking doors
  • Support Local Restaurants and Community Center
  • SWEET POTATO SOUP
  • Talent Search
  • talented seamstress in the neighborhood
  • Texas Hill Sewing
  • Thank you Trinity grades 1-3
  • Thoughts on Replacement Windows
  • Town Officials not on Forum… yet
  • Town Welcome Signs
  • Umbrella Found – Yours?
  • Use your Forum
  • vandalism on South Union St.
  • VERMONT COMEDY DIVAS PERFORM!
  • Welcome Neighbors
  • Winooski LIVE! January show
  • Winter Car Wanted
  • Youth Basketball Refs Needed

Seeking Santa Suit… and Santa to fill It

Posted on Saturday, November 24, 2007 by • No comments yet

Here’s a first for Front Porch Forum (from Tracy in Westford, VT)…

We’d love to have a guest reader in the form of a big man in a red suit at the pajama story time at the library the evening of December 19th.  We’re in search of a Santa suit… if it comes complete with someone to fill it, that’s great, but if it doesn’t we should definitely be able to find someone to fill that part of the bill, as long as we can find a suit!

Zwaggle for sharing stuff among parents

Posted on Saturday, October 20, 2007 by • No comments yet

A new Colorado-based service…

Zwaggle is an online community for parents to share with other parents. Using our points based sharing system, parents spend less money, time and resources providing for their children.

Bike “Borrowing” Binge Barrages Burlington

Posted on Thursday, October 4, 2007 by • No comments yet

Gail writes today from the ONE West Neighborhood Forum in Burlington, VT…

I have a friend in the New North End whose back yard is right next to an entrance to the bike path.  Every weekend she ends up with several bikes of all shapes and sizes in her yard.  It seems that the new teenager thing is to “borrow” a bike to get around town, and then dump it where ever it’s convenient.  I once heard of a government program in Norway I think, with bright yellow bikes parked all over town for people to use to get around town.  This Burlington bike borrowing is the same thing, only on a criminal scale.  The police are aware – but honestly, what can they do about it?  The kids who are taking the bikes don’t think there’s anything wrong with it because they don’t keep them, just borrow them.  (Tell that to a devastated 6 year old whose bike is missing!)   I’ve also ended up with at least 7 mystery bikes left in my driveway since last May – and had a few bikes stolen from my backyard.  It’s a bit of a quandary.

Neighborrow.com helps neighbors lend stuff

Posted on Friday, August 17, 2007 by • 3 comments

Just learned of Neighborrow.com. Seems focused on NYC apartment buildings. Neighbors join and offer to loan stuff to each other, and make requests. Website is up. Featured groups have a couple dozen or fewer members. It has a young feel (don’t borrow from anyone over 30?) and has some plumb media coverage… Grist article and MSNBC interview.

Our neighborhood has a manual version of this. Erik maintains a list of items people are willing to loan. I think he invited several neighbors into the group. Everyone gets the spreadsheet. Need an extra sleeping pad for this weekend’s camping trip? Check the list and make a call. Simple. However, not heavily used either.

This kind of thing seems to happen spontaneously through Front Porch Forum more… “hey, anyone out there have a sleeping pad we can borrow for this weekend?” That would likely get several responses from our nearby neighbors, who may or may not be on Erik’s list.  Kind of “just in time” stuff-to-loan.  And no database to keep up to date.

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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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