Why Trust Matters in a Neighborhood–and How to Build It

by Jennifer Prophete | Jul 21, 2026 | Getting to Know Your Neighbors, How-to, Pursue the Common Good, Uncategorized

I took a walk around my neighborhood early this morning. It was before 7:00am, so I was surprised to find a neighbor in a backyard that didn’t belong to him. He took a big gulp of an energy drink and waved at me. Puzzled for a minute, wondering if...

The City Can’t Love Your Neighbor, But You Can 

by Pam Rempe | Jun 30, 2026 | Getting to Know Your Neighbors, Neighborhood Well-being

“Service is the rent we pay for living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”  – Marian Wright Edelman In the fall of 2018, I traveled to the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn to receive training at the Red Hook Community...

Community Directories and Supporting Your Local Network 

by Pam Rempe | Jun 9, 2026 | Getting to Know Your Neighbors, How-to

Originally Published September 9, 2021  *A Note from the Director: Summer is coming, and with it, moving season! Maybe you are moving to a new neighborhood, or maybe you have new neighbors moving to your current one. Either way, this blog post will help you use...

The Power of the Potluck 

by Pam Rempe | Mar 31, 2026 | Getting to Know Your Neighbors, Imagine the Possibilities

Everyone has a food story. Sharing food and stories is what connects us and makes us human. This is the foundational premise of Community Plate, a Maine-based nonprofit dedicated to fostering connection and creating community through shared meals and stories. We bring...

Why Naming Our Gifts Matters 

by Pam Rempe | Mar 3, 2026 | Discover the Gifts, Getting to Know Your Neighbors, Imagine the Possibilities

A note from the Director. This piece was first published at the launch of The Hopeful Neighborhood Project, five years ago this month. We launched The Hopeful Neighborhood Project to improve neighborhood well-being. Our motivation was multi-faceted, but one reason was...

Apartments Are Neighborhoods, Too: 5 Tips for Apartment Dwellers  

by Jennifer Prophete | Feb 17, 2026 | Discover the Gifts, Getting to Know Your Neighbors, How-to

When you hear the word “neighborhood,” what image comes to mind?  For me, I often visualize a residential street in the middle of a suburb, complete with sidewalks, trees, and single-family homes.  For others, it might be a sprawling cityscape or a...