Editor’s note: The Gazette is publishing short essays to mark National Good Neighbor Day. Have a story about good neighbors in your lives? Send submission of 500 words or less to opinion@gazettenet.com.
Good Neighbor Day will be marked in Hampshire County on Saturday with events to bring neighbors together and celebrate the importance of community, led for the first time by Trauma Informed Hampshire County.
“Loneliness has increased since the pandemic. One of the best antidotes to social isolation, loneliness, and trauma is connection and kindness. Good Neighbor Day is an opportunity for that,” said Ruth Ever, program director for Trauma Informed Hampshire County.
This year, TIHC, a network that aims to create understanding and education around the impact of trauma, is leading local events to mark Good Neighbor Day, and foster connections in the community.
They are running three activities: Celebrate-a-Neighbor, Walk-and-Talk and a scavenger hunt.
Celebrate-a-Neighbor is an ongoing activity leading up to Good Neighbor Day where anyone may email a short story about how a neighbor has helped them or others, along with a photo, to be featured on TIHC’s website and displays in shops and public buildings around the county.
These stories, about a time when a neighbor brought over chicken soup or agreed to cat-sit, “highlight that sometimes those little things we don’t even think about as neighbors, for the person you help out, it can make their day,” said Ever.
The Walk-and-Talk and scavenger hunt will both be hosted on Saturday, national Good Neighbor Day. Starting at 10 a.m. in Grenville Park in Ware, people are invited to walk together and get to know each other. Then at 11 a.m., there will be a community clean-up starting at the United Church of Ware.
In the afternoon, TIHC is hosting a photo rally scavenger hunt starting at Forbes Library in Northampton at 2 p.m. Teams will find and photograph things around downtown Northampton by following provided clues. There will also be games and snacks on the lawn.
“It is a great opportunity to invite a neighbor, meet some new neighbors, and have some fun together,” said Ever.
On Sept. 1, Gov. Maura Healy signed a proclamation declaring Sept. 28 as Good Neighbor Day of Action in Massachusetts. Good Neighbor Day was created in the early 1970s, and officially proclaimed as a national observance by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
This year, the Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community and End Loneliness, which TIHC is a member of, is leading events and encouraging towns and cities around Massachusetts to celebrate Good Neighbor Day.
“Good Neighbor Day is a chance to remember the kindnesses we show each other and that they matter,” said Ever. “Those everyday connections with our neighbors are so important.”