Category Archives: Borrow and Lend
Neighbor helps school kids by sharing old magazines
Judy shared on the the Barre City Front Porch Forum…
In hopes of making spring come early, I am cleaning like crazy. I have several years of Guidepost magazines and many Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, and Vermont Life. Great articles, recipes, decorating tips. Come and get them. They are all in good condition.
And then she followed up yesterday with…
Thanks FPF. I found someone who wanted my magazines. She is a teacher and will make good use of them. What a great resource!!!
Problem solved for Judy, the teacher and her kids got free materials, and some neighbors met and now will be able to greet each other next time they see each other… good stuff. This kind of thing happens through FPF hundreds of times each day across Vermont, helping neighbors connect and build community.
How does your community use your FPF?
Here’s a tiny sample of Front Porch Forum postings from across Vermont yesterday…
Bennington FPF by Kelly: “The Southshire Community Market received a huge amount of support using Front Porch Forum to test our new educational website. Thanks for all your help!”
Swanton FPF by Ken: “Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is on Front Porch Forum now! Hello, after last night’s great meeting at MVU I have created an FPF account and will be posting events on FPF to try and get the word out about refuge activities and opportunities. I’ve added several events to the Swanton FPF Community Calendar stretching to June so please take a look.”
Danville Peacham FPF by Annie: “I’m in search of various items to furnish our new home and thought I’d put it to our Front Porch Forum before we went and bought new. We are looking for: Queen or full mattress and box spring, futon, night stands, kitchen table and chairs.”
Stowe FPF by Kyle: “We at Morrisville Lumber are also tired of this sub-zero streak and are also brand new to this Front Porch Forum phenomenon. With that in mind, for tomorrow only, Eric and Kyle will bribe you out of your cozy homes and into the Stowe store by offering 15% off your total purchase (regularly priced non-discounted items) for all cash or credit card sales! The only way to get this discount however is to mention that you saw this post on Front Porch Forum!”
Middlebury FPF by Marni: “Thank you to all that responded to my post about getting rid of kitchen scraps for compost! It sure is good to be back and enjoying the awesome community forum provided by Front Porch Forum. After a year in the south it sure is good to be experiencing such things as FPF… So grateful to be back in this beautiful state!”
Worcester FPF by Sara: “Still downsizing… So we have a few things left to offer if there are any interested neighbors. An antique bench ($25), a beautiful antique tea cart ($225), two air conditioners ($75 for newer, $25 for older) one dehumidifier ($85), a pub table with a few scratches but solid wood ($35)… It has been wonderful to meet some of you through Front Porch Forum!”
Waterbury FPF by Anne: “Running through Feb. 8, Waterbury’s Winterfest is a packed full schedule of all kinds winter activities. The complete 10 day schedule may be seen on the web site: waterburywinterfest.com, daily event schedules will be on Front Porch Forum, and the Waterbury Winterfest Minute will be heard on WDEV each morning of Winterfest.”
Shelburne FPF by Scott: “Four Blizzak winter tires for sale, $200. Still have 2-3 seasons left in these. They were taken off last spring and weren’t put back on in favor of all season tires. Great condition! Came off 2012 Subaru Outback. Size is 225-60-17. Front Porch Forum folks have first crack at them, then going up on craigslist.”
Northfield FPF by Gretchen: “How to build a community: Turn off your TV. Leave your house Know your neighbors. Look up when you are walking. Greet people. Sit on your stoop. Plant flowers. Use your library. Play together. Buy from local merchants. Share what you have. Help a lost dog. Take children to the park. Garden together. Support neighborhood schools. Fix it even if you didn’t break it. Have pot lucks. (Part 1 from Poster by K. Kerney)”
Does FPF effect local community? Survey says…
Before and after FPF… does it make a difference? We just concluded a survey of 964 Front Porch Forum (FPF) members (out of 6,500 invited). We asked FPF members to answer two-part questions about their experiences since joining FPF vs. before FPF.
Front Porch Forum helps neighbors connect. In the survey, 18% more members reported knowing most of their neighbors since joining FPF (vs. before joining FPF).
FPF also helps Vermonters get informed about local issues. Nearly four times more FPF members reported feeling “very informed” about local community issues since joining FPF.
And FPF helps people get involved and build community. About one-third more members work to make change in their local communities monthly since joining FPF.
See more results below.
Thanks to all who participated. And congratulations to Allison in Greensboro for winning our iPod prize drawing.
FPF helps people connect with neighbors. Since joining FPF…
- 3% more members say “hi” to neighbors monthly (vs. before joining FPF)
- 10% more members find it very/somewhat easy to make friends among neighbors
- 18% more members know most neighbors
- 24% more members have neighbors over to their home monthly
- 37% more members share goods or favors with neighbors monthly
FPF helps people get informed about local issues. Since joining FPF…
- 29% more members share news with neighbors monthly
- 68% more members feel “very informed” about local shops
- Two times more members feel “very informed” about local government services
- Nearly three times more members feel “very informed” about local clubs/organizations
- Three times more members feel “very informed” about local contractors
- Nearly four times more members feel “very informed” about community issues
- Four times more members feel “very informed” about opportunities to get involved locally
- Ten times more members feel “very informed” about neighbors’ views on local issues
FPF helps people get involved locally and build community. Since joining FPF…
- 10% more members intentionally “buy local” monthly (now 73% of members)
- 15% more members perform local volunteer work monthly
- 33% more members contact local public officials monthly
- 33% more members work to make change in their local community monthly
- 38% more members attend local public meetings monthly
- 43% more members attend local events monthly
- 89% of members have recommended FPF to someone
- 98% of members say that FPF helps their local economy (businesses find customers and new employees, neighbors save money, etc.)
East Montpelier treehouse raising
Shared by Michelle on the East Montpelier Front Porch Forum after her recent posting asking neighbors for spare lumber…
Thanks so much to the community and FPF! We got all the wood we needed for our tree house, everything we asked for and more. Thanks to all who responded and gave. We will post a photo when the tree house is done.
Taking a Montpelier community garden from online to in-the-ground
There were these subject lines, among others, on the Montpelier Front Porch Forum:
“Community Garden Seeks Seedlings in Need of Good Home”
“Community Garden Seeks Manure Loader/Hauler”
And the one that started it all:
“Space Available: Community Garden on Elm Street”
Those posts, and others on Front Porch Forum and Facebook, reached people all over Montpelier and in nearby towns. And, The Garden at 485 Elm was born…
Click here to read the rest of this story by garden organizer Sheryl Rap©e-Adams and Rob Fish of Vermont Council on Rural Development.
Grateful for Winooski neighbor connection
Lovely posting today on the Winooski FPF from Mary Beth today…
I am sure many other people share this sentiment of how thankful they are for Front Porch Forum.
What a wonderful resource in so many ways.
Because of the forum I have learned about events in the area, participated in a research study at UVM, gotten a free desk for my daughter, and found the owner of the chicken that I found dead in the road and disposed of the other day. Both the owner and I were grateful to have located each other and it was all because of the forum.
For those who post and those who run the Forum, THANK YOU for this valuable community resource!
One-woman move and reconnecting with friend after 20 years
Posted on the Montpelier FPF this week…
I just want to give a big shout-out to Front Porch Forum, through which all the details of a (more or less) one-woman move would have been much more difficult. Through FPF, I was able to sell some of the furniture I no longer need, find a mover, hold a successful yardsale (and free pile), find some moving boxes, and, finally, sell my last big item – a washing machine – at the very last minute. But, even better, I met many of my neighbors, who I might not have otherwise met, and discovered that a dear co-worker from 20 years ago has been living right next door to me for almost a year! Thank you FPF!
We asked the author if we could share her posting here, and she responded…
Absolutely use it! You should know that when I participate in outreach and marketing webinars and workshops, and people from out of state find out about Front Porch Forum, they immediately want to know how to get it in their state. I always include it in my list of absolute “musts” for community outreach. I don’t know what we did before you guys came along! (this statement is relevant to my work) but do use anything I say — I really am grateful to you all for the role FPF played in making my move successful.
NEK and Upper Valley FPFs
From Penny in the Barnet Waterford FPF…
I cannot begin to tell you how much I love Front Porch Forum. I have been a part of the Front Porch Forum in Morrisville for quite some time I have sold swingset, kayaks, windows I have purchased tires I have connected people with a lost dog. I can’t begin to say how wonderful FPF is. I joined the one in Barnet as well due to the fact that we purchased a camp here. In a roundabout way due to Front Porch Forum as a matter of fact! I am disappointed that more people do not participate in Barnet yet but I am sure once people realize the value they will join. Thank you FPF!
The sharing economy and FPF in Vermont
Just received this note from an FPF member in central Vermont…
I’m sure you hear this a lot… but not yet from me. I love Front Porch Forum and it’s such a great community-building resource. I use it for the farmers market often to borrow items that I use a couple times a year and don’t need to buy — just borrowed a 100′ tape measure to mark off the farmers market lot for the season.
Thanks so much for starting and operating this incredible resource.
Wow – Lots of People Looking for Swing Sets in Shelburne
Shared by Jeremy on the Shelburne Front Porch Forum today…
I posted an ad for a free swing set the other day and was blown away at how many families are looking for used swing sets. Ours is well used / loved but has some life in it – if you have one your kids don’t use, I encourage you to donate to another family. Feels good to know some other family will use and enjoy it.
Post your items to give away on your local Front Porch Forum today!
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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