Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Neighborhood Potluck This can be a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors and enjoy some yummy food as well. Meet in someone’s backyard or at a nearby park. Don’t forget games like kick ball, volley ball, baseball, water balloon toss or a horse shoe toss. Make invitations and a sign up sheet for main dish, salad or dessert. Visit each neighbor personally to distribute invitations and have them sign up for the potluck.

Craft & Play Day for Kids This is a fun time to get to know other mothers and keep the kids occupied at the same time. We called our craft day “Wonderful Wednesday” and held it each week. Each Wednesday had a theme such as “Kid Olympics” where we held silly relay races, water balloon toss and a wet sponge throw. Another was a bike rodeo where the kids learned bicycle safety, had an obstacle course and decorated the kid’s bikes. Visit the library for books on kid’s crafts for other ideas. Meet in someone’s backyard or at a nearby park.

Yard Sale Find out how many of your neighbors are interested and set a date. Contact your local newspaper to advertise for the event. This will be well attended by the public since yard sale aficionados love neighborhood yard sales. The more the merrier!

Sub for Santa/Angel Tree Call your local mall for the Angel Tree or shelter to find out what items are needed and the rules for delivering wrapped or non-wrapped items. Rest homes also appreciate gifts at Christmas time. Send around a flyer and sign up sheet for pledges of items or money. You can combine the Sub for Santa and Angel Tree with your neighborhood Christmas party.

Christmas Charity Party We meet at a local park or in our cul-de-sac during the month of December. We roast marshmallows over a “burn barrel” and have chili, donuts and hot cocoa. After we have had time to visit for awhile, we pass around the “money can” for neighbors donate to charity what they would have spent on neighbor gifts. One year we raised $2,000 to help a needy family! We paid for one man to take classes at a technical school. Another year we bought a laptop for a bedridden lady who wanted to work on indexing for the church.

Christmas Caroling Party Instead of spending money on Christmas gifts for the neighbors, we “pooled” our money and purchased something useful for a family who needed help. Another year, we used the money as a Sub for Santa for a needy family. To start the Caroling Party, one family begins the caroling and goes to each house to “pick up” each family along the street. They just have to listen for their “cue”. Everyone then gathers at a home in the neighborhood. Everyone has a great time and brings a treat to share at the party.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Ice Cream Social Everyone loves ice cream and this fun party gathers everyone together! Be creative with your toppings, i.e., any variety of candy, cookies or fruit. I think it’s a great idea to assign toppings for people to bring. They are more apt to come if they have a food assignment to bring.

Neighborhood Clean Up Choose one family in the neighborhood or in a nearby neighborhood to “help”. Let others know that there is a need and if they would like to participate. Find out if the chosen family would appreciate a little help on the date the neighbors have agreed on. Don’t forget to bring rakes, shovels, work gloves, cleaning supplies, etc.

Clothing Drive Send around a flyer to ask for clothing items to be donated on a specific date. Call the local shelter to find what items are needed. Coats are especially appreciated in the cold months of the year. Your local thrift store (Deseret Industries in Utah) always appreciates items year round. If you have larger items such as couches or chairs, ask if a trailer might be brought to your neighborhood to load items into and picked up when you are finished.

Community Garden It’s always fun to grow your own vegetables in the summer but sometimes we don’t have the space it needs. Ask neighbors if they would be interested in growing a community garden then find an empty lot and call the owners to see if they would mind if the neighborhood planted a garden. This can be a rewarding experience in more ways than one!

Neighborhood Talent Night This works best when you hold the event in someone’s home or at a nearby church or library. The only requirement is that there is a piano. Ask adults and children if they would like to share their talent with friends in the neighborhood. Have each family bring a treat to share.

Dinner Groups & Progressive Dinner Dinner group: Find out if anyone is interested in going out to eat on a monthly or quarterly basis. This is a great chance to get to know your neighbors. Progressive Dinner: Each couple participating prepares one course for the meal. The couples rotate between houses starting at the first house with appetizers and ending with the house where dessert is served.

Walking Group Agree on a set time and place to meet and you’re off! Many women meet after they get the kids off to school. Others meet and have a “walking carpool” and then finish their exercise once the kids are dropped off at school.

20-30 minute Extreme Yard Makeover Everyone’s yard needs a makeover, right? Take around a sign up sheet for things that need to be done in each family’s yard. Some ideas include: Raking leaves, weeding gardens, planting flowers, sweeping the walks, washing windows, etc. Meet early Saturday morning and go from one yard to the next. Have assignment lists made ahead of time, breaking each group into categories. You might want to have a “team captain” to keep everyone on task. Don’t forget to help those who can’t participate because of health reasons. Set the timer for 20 or 30 minutes and GO! (The time depends on how many people you have to help make a difference).

Other Ideas: Cooking Classes, Family History, Emergency Preparedness, Crafts, & Book clubs