Category Archives: Borrow and Lend
Bristol delivers for family in need
Dani shared with her neighbors on her Bristol FPF the other day…
My daughter has recently lost the use of her legs due to a neurological disorder and we are in need of a wheelchair with the larger wheels so she can push herself as well as a shower chair. Does anyone have one or both that you are looking to get rid of or that we could borrow while we jump through the hoops of insurance red tape? Email or call me.
And she followed up the very next day with…
Thank you!!!!! Thank you to everyone who contacted me …my daughter is all set now! Amazing response from Front Porch Forum!
Feeling lonely? See yesterday’s Mad River Valley FPF…
“If you ever feel lonely, ask for a recommendation on Front Porch Forum — 15 tree service referrals and counting. Thank you everyone.”
• Ken, Mad River Valley FPF
“Corrugated metal roofing is gone… thank you for all the interest and thank you Front Porch Forum.”
• Annette, MRV FPF
“I now have a bike basket for my old Cruiser! Thank you FPF once again!!”
• Suzee, MRV FPF
Foster child overwhelmed by neighbors’ care
“Many, many thanks for the fabulous response many of you gave to our foster child’s search for a bike. K is overwhelmed by his sense that so many people out there care and we are excited that he’ll have a bike to ride this spring (it is spring, right? As an Englishwoman, the seasons have me a little confused!!) We feel fortunate to live among you all – and thanks also to Front Porch Forum for allowing this kind of communication and community-building to take place.”
• Zoe, Underhill FPF
Above and below are a handful of the postings we get every day on Front Porch Forum. What will you post to your neighbors?
“I’ve enjoyed your comments on Front Porch Forum. They remind me of how messy and important free speech and citizen journalism are to a functioning democracy.”
• Bill, Hinesburg FPF
“Golden Retriever Found! I knew I could count on FPF. Thank you everyone for the phone calls and assistance. Lulu is home and although she looks pretty guilty, she had an eventful day! Thank you!!”
• Alison, Bristol FPF
“Hi – I’m looking for someone to roll my yard to help smooth out the bumps. I can contact lawn services in town, but FPF seems to be a better place to start. If you’ve hired someone to do this for you, and were happy with the work, i’d really appreciate the recommendation. Thank you!”
• Mary, Montpelier FPF
“My pet sitting business is a success! ‘Found you on FPF’ is the first thing I hear when a new client comes my way.”
• Deb, Middlebury FPF
Great response to post on yard clean-up… Many people responded and I’ve got someone to help. Thanks FPF! What a great way to connect!”
• Anne, Bristol FPF
“Just wanted to let you know that Andy and I secured housing in Essex this afternoon! Yippeee!! Thank you again for your help! The owners found out about us through your FPF posting – we probably never would have found an opportunity like this otherwise.”
• Karen, Essex Center FPF
Middlebury nudist colony?
Peg shared on her Middlebury Front Porch Forum today…
What a wonderful community Front Porchers are! Thank you all for your many responses to my request for a shower bench for my husband. We had enough offers to provide for a disabled nudist colony and now have a bench that was delivered in person to our homestead. You are the best!
It will make life much easier for husband and the wonderful Home Health folks who come to help in the shower.
Free fishing rods and meeting a neighbor
“I love Front Porch Forum — our pair of free fishing rods were picked up this morning by a neighbor, who I hadn’t previously met, while she was out on her walk. Her two little boys couldn’t be happier.” Posted by Linda on the Appletree Point FPF in Burlington yesterday.
People get great direct results when they post on their local FPF, such as when they unload an item they no longer need. But it’s the connection to neighbors — see Linda’s story above — that carries more weight over time.
Front Porch Forum’s mission is to help neighbors connect and build community… one lost pet, plumber recommendation, borrowed ladder, or pair of free fishing rods at a time!
Neighbors find and deliver wheelchair for neighbor in need
Ruth posted the following on her neighborhood Front Porch Forum in South Burlington the other day…
Am looking for a manual-drive wheelchair for outdoor use on lawn & in garden. Appearance not important but must be in good condition, which at present, I am not. Thank you.
She followed that a couple days later with…
My new wheels… Thanks to The Forum & member Paula, I have a loner wheelchair from the Samaritans at Fanny Allen Hospital to use while my new Cyborg hip heals & I learn to walk again. Thanks to St. Mike’s senior, Kristen, for driving me to Winooski to bring it home.
This is a wonderful example of community building. Ruth, by asking for help, Paula, by supplying information, and Kristen, by offering hands-on assistance, combined to show their neighborhood how to pull together and solve a neighbor’s problem.
Angel delivers cleats and glove to Little League rookie
“Wow! I came home from work today to find brand new cleats and glove on my front porch. My son is all set for Little League. What an unbelievably generous and thoughtful gift from a complete stranger. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Barbara, you are an angel :)”
• Gretchen, Mad River Valley FPF
People ask why we work so hard to host Front Porch Forum across every community in Vermont. That’s easy to answer! It’s the constant flow of neighbor success stories — large and small — that stream through FPF every day. Here are a few more examples from the past week:
“I posted a need for firewood to get through to spring, should it ever arrive. I ran out and was in a fix with dry wood almost impossible to find. So thank you to the Front Porch Forum neighbor who came through for me. It warms the heart when someone you never met goes out of their way to be generous with their abundance. Thanks also to FPF that made this possible.”
• David, Jericho FPF
“Overwhelming response to the free paint…gone within minutes of posting! Front Porch Forum, great way to make room for spring.”
• Susan, Montpelier FPF
“FPF really worked! I received 8 recommendations for a good massage therapist. Thank you all for your help.”
• Stephanie, Burlington FPF
“Wow! Can’t thank the Barre/Berlin communities enough for their veterinarian recommendations yesterday. FPF gratitude to all.”
• Amy, Barre City FPF
“Shortly after yesterday’s FPF edition was posted, I received a helpful phone call from a new friend and was able to solve my computer problem! Gotta love the FPF concept; and to think I heard an interview with the founder on NPR earlier in the day, just magic! I will be supporting them again and hope you all do the same.”
• Ralph, Vergennes FPF
“Thank you for all the great responses and suggestions for donating egg cartons. Mine will be making their way to VYCC. FPF rocks!”
• Joanna, Richmond FPF
“Wow, FPF members are truly great! I shouldn’t have been surprised when I woke up the morning after my request for landscape designers to several recommendations!! Thanks so much… Looking forward to our spring project!”
• Nancy, Montpelier FPF
“Sharky the Cat had been missing since September- amazing reunion! Front Porch Forum made one family elated beyond description… thank you everyone for your interest.”
• Trish, Mad River Valley FPF
Precious photos lost on old-school floppy disk?
Follow-up posting from Steve yesterday on the East Montpelier FPF…
I want to thank all of you who sent me emails with offers of help in regards to getting access to my floppy disk that had some pictures on it that I wanted. I am all set. I have retrieved the pictures thanks to a neighbor that had the correct equipment.
And thanks to the Front Porch Forum for all of the people it reaches out to in the area.
Carpet shampooer is the new cup of sugar in Berlin
Posted to the Berlin FPF by Peg yesterday…
I asked my neighbors for a carpet cleaner and had one an hour later! Thank you Linda!!!!! And thanks to the folks who created Front Porch Forum! It’s a tool our community really needs!
With graduation in sight, neighbors help student theft victim
Arlene shared on her Morrisville Front Porch Forum recently…
My son’s backpack was stolen, and in it? His much-needed-for-school graphing calculator! As there are only 3 months remaining in school, and he’s a senior, I don’t want to run out and buy a new one. Anyone have a no longer being used one that they’d like to lend (preferably) or sell?
And then yesterday her follow up…
A big THANK YOU to both the respondents to my plea, and to FPF. What a valuable resource for the community. Thank you to the loan offers and thank you to the giver of the generous gift of a no-longer-being-used calculator. Great way to reduce, reuse, recycle AND help 🙂
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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