Home > Stories > Supportive Neighbor Checklist

Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Supportive Neighbor List

This is an ongoing checklist of ideas from neighbors.  Five tips appear in every issue of The Pulse, the Community Outreach quarterly e-newsletter.  If you have ideas about ways to connect and make a friend of your neighbor, please email your suggestions to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

Suggestions from Neighbors:

1. Say hello
2. Borrow an egg
3. Host a neighborhood swap and share
4. Clean up litter in a 2-block radius from your home
5. Exchange books with each other
6. Swap seeds with a neighbor
7. Set up a BBQ in your front yard
8. Listen to an elder’s stories
9. Start a neighborhood phone tree
10. Bring freshly baked cookies to a neighbor
11. Plant a tree for a neighbor
12. Volunteer at your local school
13. When you need something, look within your neighborhood first
14. Get an emergency contact for your neighbor
15. Host a neighborhood garage sale
16. Introduce yourself to a neighbor you haven’t met
17. Attend a Neighborhood Association meeting
18. Split a cord of wood with a neighbor
19. Invite neighbors to your home for game night
20. Coordinate a leaf-raking party with neighbors
21. Offer to take care of their pets
22. Invite your neighbors over to watch a movie or game
23. Learn about your neighbors’ culture and customs
24. Clean your neighbors’ gutters in exchange for banana bread
25. Be honest about something that is bothering you
26. Share knowledge of community resources
27. Hang out in the front lawn, porch, or sidewalk
28. Take a meal to someone housebound, sick, or a new parent
29. Initiate contact with neighbors before there is a need
30. Coordinate what you are growing in your garden with a neighbor
31. Learn about your neighbor’s pets
32. Let your neighbors know before you undertake a large project
33. Invite a neighbor to eat at a neighborhood restaurant together
34. Notice your neighbors’ home improvements and give them props
35. Clean up after yourself and your pets
36. Maintain your property and consider the perspective of your neighbor
37. Keep your sidewalks clear of toys and debris
38. Use a lawn mower, power tools, and other noise-makers at considerate times
39. Obey the speed limit and slow down on residential streets where kids play
40. Seek to enjoy the people living around you by befriending them
41. Plant raspberry bushes in the front yard with a “for sharing” sign
42. Have open body language to show you want to speak with your neighbors
43. Watch each other’s children while running errands
44. Offer resources at a reduced rate to your surrounding neighbors
45. Invite other kids to play with your children at the park
46. Look out for the safety of your neighbor’s kitties.
47. Let your neighbor know about free chocolate tastings!
48. Work together to make sure the paths you all use are free of debris.
49. Keep an eye on your neighbor’s home while they are on vacation.
50. Bring homemade caramel candies to share with your workplace neighborhood.
51. Offer up toys your children no longer play with to your neighbors.
52. A good neighbor is genuinely kind and open, and respects your space. 
53. Check in on elderly neighbors, run errands or share vegetables from your garden.
54. Put your neighbor’s trash bins out for them. 
55. Share your lawn mower with your neighbor or offer to mow theirs. 
56. A good neighbor helps you clean up the leaves on your lawn. 
57. Host a soup swapping party at your house. 
58. Work with neighbors to donate items to a food or clothing drive.
59. Let each other know about opportunities for community involvement.
60. Take your dogs for a walk together. 
61. When cooking, make a bit extra, package it up and deliver it to you neighbor.
62. Have patience with your neighbors.
63. Be respectful of your neighbor’s parking spaces, especially on the street. 
64. Being a good neighbor starts with being friendly!
65. If you are going to the store, give your neighbors a ride or offer to pick items up for them.