Our Story - Groton Neighbors

HomeOur Story

Building Community Through the Joy of Service

Reprinted with permission from Groton Dunstable Living, February 2024 edition.

As the pontoon boat pushed off from the dock on Lost Lake, Theresa Fisk and Beverly Smith found themselves on another unlikely adventure. The sunset cruise last summer marked only the latest excursion for a friendship forged during the pandemic.

Both retirees, Theresa and Beverly each felt the isolation of the 2020 COVID lockdowns: no senior center lunches, no games with friends and no church services. Fortunately, they had Groton Neighbors, Inc, an all-volunteer, non-profit group that helps members live independently at home.

With its own events and services hampered by the pandemic, Groton Neighbors got creative. It introduced Front Porch Chats and paired 14 interested members, including Theresa and Beverly, to visit in the safety of outdoor porches and patios for conversation and laughs.

“It really was a way of getting all of us through this so somehow we weren’t alone,” says Beverly who has visited regularly with Theresa ever since, driving her to garden tours, luncheons, shopping and more. “For me it was important to have a porch chat buddy, and we got to know each other pretty well.”

Their story is just one of many at Groton Neighbors, which since 2017, has been pairing members in need of a service with members who volunteer to perform them. Members delivered 211 services in 2023, approaching 1,000 total requests fulfilled since its start. The services range from rides to the doctor to WiFi tech support.

“There has been much research about volunteering, doing things for the benefit of other people,” says Bob Pine, Groton Neighbors’ President. “Those studies consistently show that benefits accrue to the giver as well as the receiver, some of those being sense of purpose, self-esteem, new relationships, sense of community and on and on, with the most consistent benefit being simply, ‘It makes you happy’.”

The opportunity to serve others and build community has resonated with many Groton residents. Groton Neighbors grew to 134 members in 2023, adding 28 to its ranks. The members range in age from 29 to 101 years old.

Groton Neighbors now has more than 170 members. For more information on joining Groton Neighbors, click here.

Brooke Mckeever moved from Utah to Groton with her husband, JJ, and their two young children in 2021. Brooke thinks of her parents back in Utah and how they would benefit from a group like Groton Neighbors.

“I really wish there was a group like this near my parents. We joined Groton Neighbors as a way to get to know and volunteer in the community. There’s a comfort that an organization like Groton Neighbors brings. Our members know that they can rely on the community that surrounds them and that we are here to keep them connected with the town and their home,” says Brooke, who serves on the organization’s board of directors

The most popular service request is rides, not surprising in a rural town with no public transportation system. Members offer more than 60 services in four categories: rides, household and handyman, wellness, and tech support. They include rides to appointments and errands, grocery shopping, light housework and yard work, and computer and technology assistance.

Volunteers staff a virtual office to answer calls for service requests from members. They pair requests with volunteers and track the requests from start to finish in a database. No member pays for individual services. Rather, members pay an annual membership fee, which spreads the operating costs over a larger number. This year, the fee dropped to a new low of $75 per individual and $125 for a two-member household because costs remained relatively flat as membership grew. Understanding it could create a burden for some, Groton Neighbors reduces or waives the fee without question upon request.

Groton Neighbors also organizes social events and activities for members, such as book clubs, nature walks, guest-speaker programs, and sunset boat rides. It often partners with the Groton Public Library, Prescott Community Center, and Council on Aging.

About 50 years before the Mckeevers, the Pines moved to Groton, after searching for a home in a town that valued community. Speaking at a dinner for new members last month, Bob said:

“The willingness of people here to give of themselves to the community is wonderful. Groton Neighbors is, to me, the epitome of what I had been searching for. It exists simply for volunteerism, connection, and community.”