“I was introduced to Front Porch Forum while living in northern VT… it was used for everything! Rental property, yard sales, items for sale/free, local employment and even loose chickens! I have bought and sold items, found childcare and a place to live… all through FPF! No more scam-filled Craigslist. This is such an incredible resource for our community, if only people would start using it more in southern Vermont. It’s all local, so opportunities and info will be used within our community, therefore strengthening local connections. Please spread the word and let’s just start using it for everything!”
• Kim, Grafton Windham Athens FPF
In most of Vermont, > 75% of households participate on their local FPF. In various southern Vermont towns, membership rates are closer to 20%. That’s changing now, though, thanks in large part to folks like Kim above. People sign up for FPF most often due to word-of-mouth… a friend, co-worker or neighbor telling them to check it out. So… please spread the word! Here’s a collection of flyers, social media links, etc. to put to use in your area.
“Many thanks to the man on the tractor with the voracious snow blower attached who cleaned out the front of our driveway, and those of several neighbors, this morning at 5AM. I, for one, wish that you would take off the mask and identify yourself so that I could assist you in the bills you have from that great machine. I guess we should just feel content to know that someone enjoys blowing this white stuff somewhere less intrusive. THANKS AGAIN!!!!!”
• David, Essex Center Front Porch Forum
This is one of dozens such postings on local FPFs across the state lately, with neighbors thanking neighbors for help clearing snow after last week’s storms. In Vermont, it’s easy to lose touch with neighbors during our long, cold winters. But this act of neighborly kindness is a sweet reminder of the kind of community that many of us are blessed with. Thank your neighbor by posting on your FPF today.
“Great news: Lost Golden Retriever has returned home safe and sound!! Thank you to our wonderful friends and neighbors on Front Porch Forum for all of your help and support!!”
• Dana & Susan, Johnson FPF
“Our sweet Chocolate Lab, Ellie, is home again! Very grateful for social media and for our wonderful neighbors in Jericho.”
• Sarah, Stephen, Calvin & Violet, Jericho FPF
“Sending out a thank you to all in the community who responded to my request for a plumber recommendation. We have a wonderful resource here in Front Porch Forum. Thank you, everyone!”
• Kristen, Monkton FPF
“Can anyone provide a closed truck to help move a load of household stuff — furniture and kitchen utensils — donated for distribution to refugees in Burlington area? Start in Marshfield, and end at VT Refugee warehouse in Colchester. In the next couple of weeks. Almost any weekday will do.”
• Jules, Marshfield Plainfield FPF
“Someone has quickly volunteered their truck, together with a driver! Things happen, and fast, with Front Porch Forum.”
• Jules, Marshfield Plainfield FPF, next day
Sebastian Junger’s recent book, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, strikes a chord familiar to Front Porch Forum fans. Jennifer Senior writes in her New York Times review of the book…
Modern civilization may be swell, giving us unimaginable autonomy and material bounty. But it has also deprived us of the psychologically invaluable sense of community and interdependence that we hominids enjoyed for millions of years. It is only during moments of great adversity that we come together and enjoy that kind of fellowship which may explain why, paradoxically, we thrive during those moments. (In the six months after Sept. 11, Mr. Junger writes, the murder rate in New York dropped by 40 percent, and the suicide rate by 20 percent.)
War, too, for all of its brutality and ugliness, satisfies some of our deepest evolutionary yearnings for connectedness. Platoons are like tribes. They give soldiers a chance to demonstrate their valor and loyalty, to work cooperatively, to show utter selflessness. Is it any wonder that so many of them say they miss the action when they come home?
As a former anthropology major, Mr. Junger takes a special interest in tribal life. He notes that a striking number of American colonists ran off to join Native American societies, but the reverse was almost never true. He describes the structure and values of hunter-gatherer groups, including the ones that lasted well into the 20th century, like the !Kung in the Kalahari.
FPF’s mission is to help neighbors connect and build community. We work toward that mission by hosting a Vermont-wide network of online neighborhood / town forums where people find lost pets, sell cars, give away couches, seek rides to the airport, ask for plumber recommendations, borrow ladders, find part-time jobs, organize block parties, attract crowds for community meetings and events, debate school budgets, and more. And all of this occurs daily among clearly identified nearby neighbors, building connections. Counter to our national trend toward individual isolation, for an increasing number of Vermonters, their neighbors form a healthy part of their tribe.
“I painted a canvas for my aunt’s birthday and lost it today. It was on the roof of my mother’s car and has my initials on it (KAL 01/17). It is a gift and only the second time I’ve ever painted. If anyone finds it I would be super appreciative!”
Almost a week later, a FPF member posts:
“Found Painting on Ground Near Bike Path – Yours? With initials KAL.”
“The painting has been located! THANK YOU Front Porch Forum! I am so glad we have this community!” – Christine, Montpelier FPF
Lose something of value? Your neighbors are ready to help. Just ask!
“I stand with all of my neighbors, no matter what country they came from or what religion they follow. Who will stand with me?“
“A couple of months ago, a community member in my town posted on our Front Porch Forum an invitation for neighbors to gather in questioning how we can become more organized, informed and better able to rapidly respond to current social issues. From that one post, about 40 people showed up. We squeezed into the old South Newfane School House and began an important conversation. Out of this gathering, we are now defining the contours of what we want to do as a group and how to effectively connect with other grassroots efforts in our state. At the last meeting we invited our local legislators and many showed up. FPF has been instrumental by creating the infrastructure that has allowed such a level of individual activism and organization to occur.”
• Heidi, Newfane Townshend FPF
When it’s time to get organized in your community, start with FPF.
“WOW thanks you for all of the replies!!!! So glad to know there are many helping hands in our community. The bed has moved to it’s new home at the Lareau Farm Inn. Thank you all!”
Lisabeth, Innkeeper, Mad River Valley Front Porch Forum
Moving? Need help? Ask your neighbors on FPF.
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