Reaching out to my neighbors - by email

[DaveNV]

I live in a planned neighborhood of about 30 homes, arranged on a closed circle. One way in, drive the loop, and the same road back out again. We have a neighborhood Homeowner's Association, and we meet once or twice a year in someone's driveway to discuss neighborhood business. I was one of the first to move into the neighborhood seventeen years ago, and I've been kind of the keeper of the history ever since. I know just about everybody on our loop, and I've always tried to be a good neighbor. It's a nice place to live.

This morning it occurred to me that nobody from the HOA has said anything since this Covid-19 thing started. A number of my neighbors are senior couples, some are widowed, and some are younger families with children. With everyone staying behind closed doors, it might be difficult to know if someone needed a hand. I sent out a blanket email to all the neighbors' email addresses I had. It went like this:

"Hi Neighbors,

With the current Covid-19 situation, I’m sure we’re all hunkered down in our homes. It occurs to me that some people may be struggling, or have a need a neighbor may be able to help you with. I wanted to make a point of checking in with everyone, and ask how you’re doing. Is everyone in your home healthy, or are you facing challenges right now? Is there something I or another neighbor can do for you? We’re all in this together, and I want to do what I can to help our community get through this challenging time. Please forward this message to anyone not on the address list above. Thanks.

Stay healthy,
Dave"

I'm pleased to say I have received replies from about half the addresses on the list, and everyone is doing well. My point in bringing this up on Tug is to suggest maybe you can do the same in your neighborhood. If you have an HOA, maybe suggest your Board send something. In the same light as a Neighborhood Watch, perhaps your neighborhood might benefit from an offer for neighbor to help neighbor. And worse case scenario, someone may ask for assistance with something serious - perhaps assistance to get medical help, or whatever. It never hurts to be a good neighbor.

Just a suggestion,
Dave

 

[Luanne]

Thanks Dave. We've done this in our development as well. We were pretty close knit before but it's been nice to check in with everyone.

 

[PigsDad]

Our next door neighbor did a very similar email last week for the neighbors on our street (a double cul-de-sac, separated from the rest of the neighborhood). Like your email, it was a very nice gesture and a place to turn if anyone needed some help.

Kurt

 

[geekette]

We use Next Door here, covering several neighborhoods in the area. Right away, posts were made offering help. I do not quite know how I found it or it found me...

It has been super valuable in lost/found dogs getting back home.

 

[MrockStar]

We use Next Door here, covering several neighborhoods in the area. Right away, posts were made offering help. I do not quite know how I found it or it found me...

It has been super valuable in lost/found dogs getting back home.

geekette, is Next Door a phone app or PC app?

 

[geekette]

geekette, is Next Door a phone app or PC app?

I use it on pc, probably an app for that?

 

[PigsDad]

geekette, is Next Door a phone app or PC app?

Both. There are apps for iOS and Android, in addition to a web-based interface: www.nextdoor.com

Kurt

 

[Passepartout]

I saw a great suggestion on facebook, but can't seem to share the picture here, so use your imagination. A poster had similar feelings about seniors in her neighborhood, so she compiled regular size pieces of paper, Red, Yellow, Green. She took these to her neighbors. If all is well, put a green paper in the front window. If they need some minor 'helping hand', like picking up something at the store or some assistance in the home, put the yellow paper in the front window. Or if there is sickness or they REALLY NEED HELP, put the red paper in the window.

I thought it was a good way to keep in contact, and not everyone has email, or feeels 'right' about asking for help in a public venue.

Use the idea if you feel it has merit, or pass it on.

Be Well!

Jim

 

[WinniWoman]

We now live in a similar neighborhood. We have an HOA webpage and also we have received an email from the HOA regarding the virus and social distancing. When people respond to a general email we all get the responses in our email box as well.

One thing that really is great is the community Facebook page. We can reach out to each other, post pictures and so forth. Has been very good so far.

EX: Just recently the daugher of an elderly couple reached out to ask for people to check up on her parents as they just recently lost their aide.

 

[DaveNV]

We now live in a similar neighborhood. We have an HOA webpage and also we have received an email from the HOA regarding the virus and social distancing. When people respond to a general email we all get the responses in our email box as well.

One thing that really is great is the community Facebook page. We can reach out to each other, post pictures and so forth. Has been very good so far.

EX: Just recently the daugher of an elderly couple reached out to ask for people to check up on her parents as they just recently lost their aide.

That would be a good idea. We tried that in my neighborhood a long time back, but there wasn't enough interest, and it kind of failed. Same thing happened with NextDoor. Facebook wasn't the juggernaut it is now, so maybe I should mention setting up a FB page for everyone to use. But then, like so many things in life, everyone would be completely in favor of something, and totally rally behind the idea, as long as they don't have to do any work. LOL!

Dave

 

[SandyPGravel]

We have something similar in our neighborhood. We even have a defacto Mayor. (Self-appointed I hear) My "circle" has had a yearly picnic for 21 years. We also have our own set of police officers, actually two sets now. We have an email list that everyone has and emails have been going out since the "Safer at home" order went out. The defacto mayor is almost 85, so several have been sending out "I'm going to the store anyone need anything?" emails for the last few weeks. In some ways we are lucky we all have at least 2.5 or 5 acre lots so we are pretty socially distant already.

 

[WinniWoman]

That would be a good idea. We tried that in my neighborhood a long time back, but there wasn't enough interest, and it kind of failed. Same thing happened with NextDoor. Facebook wasn't the juggernaut it is now, so maybe I should mention setting up a FB page for everyone to use. But then, like so many things in life, everyone would be completely in favor of something, and totally rally behind the idea, as long as they don't have to do any work. LOL!

Dave

Our Facebook page was not utilized much before- at least from what I could tell- (New Englanders are pretty private). There are also a lot of snowbirds here so I think during the winter months with not much going on there were few posts. But lately with newcomers and more full timers (like me- lol!) posting, people have perked up! And now with the virus I would think more and more people would visit the page.

I post scenic photos from my walks. Request recommendations for services or information. One lady has been posting how she is getting a crosswalk put in on the main road across from our development. Newcomers introduce themselves to everyone. Things like that.

I even had a delivery that was meant for someone else so I was able to post it and sure enough that person saw it and was able to come to our house to get it.

 

[clifffaith]

Nextdoor is excellent. I've checked it several times daily for about five years. It was a great alternative to eBay for selling things too heavy or unwieldy to mail, and a good source of info when there were sirens or helicopters in the neighborhood. Lost and found pets are posted too. Of course I could not get my sister interested in signing up in my parent's area, either back in the good old days when she might have found local pet sitting instead of ditching my parents for ten days at a time while pet/house sitting an hour away, or now when people are posting info on store supplies and other critical info. In the last two weeks we've posted when we had tubs of lemons on our front wall (and I put out a request for an onion and received several), and Cliff has given away strawberry and sage plants when he needed to thin the garden plantings.

 

[moonstone]

Our little village has a community Facebook page and it is very active these days with offers from people to pickup groceries, other necessities or provide any other services needed. Yesterday somebody asked if anybody had some extra onions, as they didn't want to make the 20 min drive to the nearest grocery store, about half a dozen people responded within 5 minutes. When we arrived home last week we had a lot of neighbours welcoming us home and offering to pickup groceries or get our cars from their storage facilities for us. Last week a couple of the moms organized a scavenger hunt for the kids in the neighbourhood. A theme was posted and we put something relating to that in our front window. Kids, obeying social distancing, were out walking or on their bikes making a list of addresses with the item that was displayed in the window. We are a tight knit, family like, community.

~Diane

 

[pedro47]

Thanks DaveNW, we started your suggestions years ago. We also update all person names,,Land Line & Cellphones telephone numbers and email address every January of the New Year.