1. “Because of the pandemic, our parents and relatives weren’t able to visit us right away after we welcomed our third child this past April. Neighbors to the rescue! Our family was the recipient of countless meals in the days and weeks after we returned home from the hospital: fruit, soup, chili, homemade bread, desserts, and an amazing chicken casserole that I won’t soon forget.” –Tom White, design director
2. “When we moved into our house, I was 36 weeks pregnant, which meant my neighbors saw me walking around a few times trying to jump-start labor. I met one couple while I was doubled over from a contraction. Then, I disappeared to have my baby and basically never re-entered society because… pandemic. But right after our son was born, one neighbor dropped off dinner from the Art of Entertaining, another brought us baby wash, and a third stopped by to invite me to a local mom’s group.” –Amanda Woytus, deputy editor
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3. “Just last Sunday evening, I was grilling vegetable skewers and venison backstraps in the backyard when my new neighbors walked out onto their back porch to have cocktails. We introduced ourselves. Soon after, a third new neighbor walked over and introduced himself. It was like an impromptu new-neighbors party. It was easy to forget for a moment, spontaneously chatting with strangers, that we were in the middle of a pandemic.” –Nicholas Phillips, senior editor
4. “One of my neighbors has organized a ‘grab-and-go’ table on her front lawn that is available for anyone to come and get what they need. She’s stocked it with non-perishables and fresh produce and other necessities, like diapers and school supplies. The truly amazing part is that she’s been able to keep it up daily since April—with the help of her family and donations from the community. It’s inspiring to see how the vision of one person can bring so many people together in an effort to help others who are going through a difficult time.” –Emily Cramsey, art director
5. “When I was in the seventh grade, a new family moved into my neighborhood. I met the family’s eldest daughter, Brooke, when she rode her scooter past my driveway. We discovered that we were the same age, then that we’d be attending the same school. A mutual crush on Nick Jonas sealed the friendship. We were inseparable for a decade and then some.” –Samantha Stevenson, associate editor
6. “The first time I met Jim, we talked about hobbies. His included golf and grandkids. Mine are too many to count, but when I mentioned woodworking, he motioned to follow him across the street to his garage. There sat a 175-pound cast-iron– and-steel drill press from the 1970s. He said it was his father’s, a former engineer at Emerson who helped in the engineering of this exact model. Jim offered it to me, free of charge, the first time we met. Can’t get much nicer than that.” –Kevin A. Roberts, staff photographer
