Category Archives: Front Porch Forum
More Neighborly Communities
Front Porch Forum members report closer-knit communities.
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say “˜It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” “• Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood
Lynn A. of Montpelier, Vt. says “Front Porch Forum: discovering Vermont’s neighborly spirit, one glorious post at a time.”
FPF members report knowing and trusting more of their neighbors than national averages, resulting in closer-knit communities. Neighbors who know each other are more likely to lend a hand in times of need, whether it be loaning a pressure canner, larger-scaled community projects like organizing a foodbank, or emergency efforts.
FPF co-founder Michael Wood-Lewis shares that “when neighbors know each other and offer help or advice among each other, social capital accrues. FPF fosters real connections throughout networks of neighbors, and those ties bring genuine value to a community. Why buy a new ladder when you can borrow one from a neighbor?”
Front Porch Forum is a place where folks can learn their neighbors’ names and share hopes for the community and perspectives on local issues. The forum enables participants to familiarize and become informed online so that they can get out and have face-to-face discussions and take action offline. The result: optimism, unity, trust, and helping one another.
Stephanie Teleen, Neighbors Day VT organizer, uses Front Porch Forum to get the word out. She says “there are a few things you can count on in Vermont: beautiful scenery, ample snow, and Front Porch Forum. When Vermont became the first state in the country to celebrate Neighbor’s Day on June 2, 2018, FPF was the first and only statewide organization to help promote this event. Why? Because FPF knows the value of personal connection and communication within our communities. Neighbors Day happens once a year, but FPF works to connect neighbors every day, all year long. FPF is like a digital potluck with no cooking required! Being neighborly is paid forward in Vermont… to everyone’s benefit..”
*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.
**2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Survey of Health Attitudes
Heartfelt gratitude for our fire fighters
It’s witnessing these acts of neighborliness that has such an impact on FPF members.
“On a slushy, awful night, there was a grease fire in an apartment above Delish and The Quirky Pet. I got the call and rushed downtown to find our fire department walking through my wet shop as well as Delish where the water was literally crawling down the walls. This might sound trivial, but the concern they showed for the health and well being of my eleven parakeets in the aviary was extraordinary. All are healthy and present for because our fire department made sure my shop was powered up to remain warm and was smoke free before they left for the night. The same concern was shown for the well being of the dogs and cat in the apartments upstairs. Our fire fighters alongside my husband and me carried load after load of candy into my pet shop saving Delish’s livelihood. They didn’t have to join in on that.
It is really unfortunate that most of us don’t really notice the fire department until they are involved in a fire call. Montpelier’s fire department is a tightly run shop of really caring people who are very good at what they do. You don’t normally see them get mentioned in Front Porch Forum.
As a Montpelier business owner… and a resident of Montpelier as well, they have my heartfelt gratitude not only for what they did for Delish and my shop but for our upstairs residential neighbors as well on a very messy night weather-wise.” • Richard in Montpelier
America is suffering an epidemic of loneliness
A recent opinion piece in the New York Times had us reflecting on how Front Porch Forum works to bridge loneliness.
Photo credit: John Taggart for The New York Times
FPF‘s community-centric framework has created a powerful norm of neighborliness that builds enduring social ties.
Investing in climate change insurance? Try community resiliency
A recent article in New York Times… 
Climate Change Insurance: Buy Land Somewhere Else
In case global warming makes their homes uninhabitable, some millennials have a Plan B: investing in places like the Catskills, Oregon and Vermont.
Buried among several examples of people who think the answer to large-scale catastrophe is striking out on their own is the following gem…
Bruce Riordan, program director for the Climate Readiness Institute at the University of California Berkeley, cautioned that it isn’t realistic to expect to live in a bubble. “Sure, you can grow your own vegetables, but what about wheat and grains?” he said. “And what happens when you need medical attention?”
Mastering surgery would certainly be a lot harder than learning to grow tomatoes.
A better strategy, Mr. Riordan suggested, would be to find a community that is intelligently preparing for whatever climate change may bring. He equated the situation to what California has done about earthquakes: They can’t be avoided, but we can build safer buildings, get better at predicting them and establish systems to care for vulnerable populations when they occur.
This jibes with Front Porch Forum‘s experience. When disaster strikes, the most resilient communities are those full of neighbors who know each other, know what’s going on, and who have a record of helping each other and accomplishing things together.
Return of the Battalion Stallion
Front Porch Forum members can be very creative with their postings! Witness this humorous exchange:
“What a disgrace. I’ve never in my three years of living here been more disgusted with the State of Things. No more Battalion Stallion on the Country Store menu? Was there even a vote? Together we can right this wrong. Join me and the growing ranks of outraged citizens and help restore this town treasure to the once-great menu.” • Ben in Jericho
“As both creator and destroyer of the Battalion Stallion panini, I offer my deepest, most profound sympathy for the loss of your beloved sandwich. It indeed was a stalwart of our menu for many years here. It filled up many a weary traveler on his or her way to gastric heaven. Alas, along came newer sandwiches and the Stallion became a lost pony. But only the forgotten are truly lost, as they say. This is ‘Merica, and despite our differences we can find common ground. All it takes is a good conversation and a hilarious FPF post. So, although we won’t put it back on the menu, you can stop by or call and order it. We’ll make it for you! Long live the Stallion! Hooah.” • Jon at the Jericho Center Country Store
There goes the neighborhood
Front Porch Forum co-founder, Michael Wood-Lewis, was recently interviewed on the Team Human podcast for a segment on “people trying to effect real cultural change in very different ways.”
Team Human is a podcast striving to amplify human connection. Each week they engage in real-time, no-holds-barred discussions with people who are hacking the machine to make it more compatible with human life, and helping redefine what it means to stay human in a digital age.
Take a listen and see how Michael “shows us how the net can be used to turn residents back into neighbors. It’s a story about the transformative power of witnessing everyday acts of neighborliness.”
A musical bond is formed on FPF
How will you use FPF to form friendships?
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
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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