Good Neighbor Resources

Coloring Sheet

Hosting a neighborhood meeting or other event? Print this Vancouver coloring sheet to entertain neighbors of all ages.

100 Acts of Neighborliness

Get inspired with these ideas for building community in your Vancouver neighborhood.

1. Host a neighborhood game night with a mix of indoor/outdoor, low-stimulation, and accessible games. Include options that don’t require standing or fast movement.
2. Organize a low-key, inclusive neighborhood walk or mini-parade. Ensure seating is available and avoid loud sounds or strobe lights to support sensory-sensitive neighbors.
3. Host a potluck with soups and stews in the driveway. Offer seating and options for various diets and cultures.
4. Create a flexible neighborhood scavenger hunt that can be done at your own pace, with picture-based or sensory-friendly clues, and prizes for all participants.
5. Start a neighborhood walking group.
6. Put out chairs in the front yard, so neighbors can sit down, rest, and drink something.
7. Bring out a fire pit in your front yard to roast marshmallows or make s’mores. 
8. Offer a helping hand to rake a neighbor’s lawn.
9. Send a text, an email, or a card to your neighbors thanking them for being such great neighbors or checking in on them.
10. Host neighbors for evening coffee and dessert.
11. In cooler weather, invite neighbors over to watch a movie or sports game. Set up a TV in the garage or in your house, provide some snacks, cheer on your favorite team, and connect with your neighbors.
12. Write a note complimenting your neighbor or telling them something you appreciate about them and where you live.
13. Invite your neighbors over for dinner.
14. How about a potluck with a theme for neighbors on the driveway? Invite them to bring a favorite dish, or a traditional family or cultural dish.
15. Plan a baking, BBQ smoke-off, or hot wings cooking contest where the neighbors are the judges.
16. Random act of kindness with a gift or act of service.
17. Organize a neighborhood cornhole tournament.
18. Outdoor movie night: Project a movie onto a garage or outdoor screen.
19. Offer to bring in the mail or newspaper when a neighbor is on vacation.
20. Welcome new neighbors with an opt-in event. Share culturally inclusive food or beverages.
21. Offer yardwork help or lend tools.
22. Host a Breakfast on the Block breakfast gathering.
23. Gather neighbors for ice cream sundaes on Sunday.
24. Start a tool lending library.
25. Host a Donuts on the Driveway (with coffee or cider, of course).
26. Offer to walk your neighbor’s dog(s).
27.  Bring your neighbor flowers or fruit from your garden.
28. Start a book or story club. Include audiobooks or allow participants to share stories orally.
29. Go for a walk and bring a small trash bag to pick up trash along the sidewalk.
30. Use sidewalk chalk to write an inspiring message on the sidewalk in front of your home.
31. Ask neighbors if you can pick up items for them while you’re at the store. 
32. Make a double batch of the cookies you’re baking and bring some to a neighbor.
33. Know parents who could use a night out? Offer to babysit a neighbor’s child for free.
34. Make dinner for a neighbor who has just had a baby or surgery.
35. Find and visit a locally owned neighborhood business you’ve never been to and try it out.
36. Learn the name of one native plant or tree in your neighborhood and find it on your next walk, share the knowledge.
37. Take a photo of something beautiful or interesting on your block each day for a week.
38. Offer rides or errands for a neighbor without easy transportation.
39. Make a neighborhood directory or welcome packet for new residents 
40. Create a “buy-nothing” group for your neighborhood and post offerings and share  
41. Run a small donation drive.
42. Introduce yourself to one new neighbor and get their phone number.
43. Organize a meal train for sick, grieving, or overworked neighbors.
44. Start a produce share or garden swap.
45. Host a skill share night or workshop.
46. Host a seasonal clothing swap.
47. Assemble and distribute care kits.
48. Set up a community repair day and fix bikes, appliances, or clothing together.
49. Organize a mutual aid directory listing who can offer what (rides, meals, translation, listening, etc.
50. Create a zine with your favorite local spots (local businesses, trails, restaurants, adventures) and share with a neighbor.
51. Set up a free tutoring collective.
52. Create a free community wellness day bring in neighbors with skills like massage therapy, herbalism, or mental health educators.
53. Set up a “know your rights” workshop with local legal aid.
54. Create and laminate “know your rights” pocket cards in multiple languages.
55. Launch a home weatherizing or repair day.
56. Start a free art or music supply exchange for local kids or creators 
57. Organize an open mic, storytelling night, or potluck 
58.  Collect and distribute comfort kits: cozy socks, tea, affirmations, journals, games, etc. 
59. Start a community rainwater collection or composting station.
60. Host a community safety and de-escalation training.
61. Take a Tree Stewards course with a neighbor through Urban Forestry.
62. Create a neighborhood job/skill bulletin board and match folks offering labor, trades, or childcare with those in need.
63. Help neighbors prepare emergency plans (fire, flood, eviction, power outages) 
64. Create regular “open porch” or “community tea” times 
65. Host a civic “how things work” night and teach how to access city documents, attend council meetings, or file public records requests.
66. Set up a plant or plant starts swap.
67. Take the Community Emergency Response Team class through CRESA and create a network in your neighborhood.
68. Reverse Halloween, go by your neighbors’ houses and give them some candy and a note.
69. Start or join a neighborhood kickball team, or go cheer them on.
70. Organize a neighborhood wander- bike, roll, walk, or have seats along the way- create a passport of fun places to stop and admire. Choose routes that are accessible (flat, paved), and welcome wheelchairs, strollers and mobility aids.
71. Plan an art show or swap where you can share your craft with neighbors.
72. Set up a planter pottery swap.
73. Visit your local library to do some research about your neighborhood. Share with neighbors what you learned and ask them what they know.
74. Make a little free library of something other than books- mugs, plant cuttings, seeds, art, etc. 
75. Start a Tree of Heaven ninja squad and help neighbors identify and correctly eliminate this invasive species.
76. Organize a neighborhood carpool to First Friday Art Walks in downtown Vancouver.
77. Plan with neighbors and share resources for severe weather events like ice storms, heat waves, etc.- who can help de-ice the sidewalk? What games or activities can you plan as a neighborhood during a heat wave?
78. Put together a green bag for Clark Neighbors Food Project.
79. Work with neighbors to Adopt-A-Park.
80. Offer to teach a neighbor how to use C-TRAN.
81. Start a “Future Leaders Porch Chat” series. Once a month, invite in rotating adults from the neighborhood with careers in trades, arts, tech, or activism to speak and share.
82. Host a “Neighborhood Dream Board Day” for teens. Provide old magazines, markers, and poster boards. Encourage youth to visualize what they want for themselves and their city.
83. Set up a volunteer build day with neighbors at Evergreen Habitat for Humanity.
84. Sign up for a meal train at one of Vancouver’s Safe Stay Communities or Community Court program for the unsheltered.
85. Paint rocks with art or inspiring messages (dubbed “Vancouver Rocks”) and leave them in parks, public spaces or your yard.
86. Attend a neighborhood association meeting.
87. Set up a free website for your neighborhood (if one doesn’t already exist!)
88. Share acts of neighborliness that inspired you/shout outs to your neighbors on Nextdoor.
89. Plan a neighborhood-wide garage sale.
90. Adopt a block in your neighborhood and commit to keeping it litter-free.
91. Become a Neighbors on Watch volunteer to help Vancouver Police keep neighborhoods safer.
92. Become a Vancouver Fire Department Fire Corps volunteer to help Vancouver Fire educate neighbors about fire prevention.
93. Take a free RecyleU course with a neighbor to earn $120 for your neighborhood association.
94. Write a note of thanks for first responders, mail carriers, garbage service workers in your neighborhood.
95. Bring playtime or snack time outside to the front yard if you have children. Invite neighbor kids to join if the opportunity arises.
96. Tell a neighbor what you love about their children.
97. Save any neighbor contacts on your phone with the title “neighbor”, then you can easily text or contact the group with a simple search for neighbor in your contact list.
98. Cheer on a local youth sports team, if you any of your neighborhood kids play a sport, get the schedule from them and let them know you are supporting them.
99. Consider volunteering with Trauma Intervention Program NW (TIPNW) – Citizens helping citizens in crisis.
100. Apply for a Community and Neighborhood grant to build and strengthen community connections, encourage local collaboration, and empower each other to take meaningful action in our community.