As a single mother of five, Elena Nellson understands the importance of community assistance and support.
“Being an immigrant and having lived on the North Shore for the past 20 years, I’ve always relied on my friend and the immediate community,” Nellson said. “I’m always amazed where the help may come from in unexpected ways and unexpected people you maybe haven’t met before.”
During a long bus ride to New York, Nellson decided to use the time to make a difference by creating a space for community members to more easily connect and support one another.
The Good Neighbor/Swampscott Facebook group launched just before Christmas and had more than 400 members at the time of publication. The group allows neighbors to help one another for free by exchanging skills, services and time. Nellson has also created similar Facebook groups for other North Shore communities, including Marblehead and Lynn.
“I felt like there is a niche and a need for people to have that kind of rebuilding connection in the community,” Nellson said. “I feel like that kindness in communities is lacking.”
In the group, anyone can ask for help or offer something in return, whether it’s a service or simply their time to advise or connect. One person asked for someone to spend time with their dogs in exchange for help with errands or baked goods. Another requested tech support in exchange for an organizing or clean-out session, or lessons in knitting. Other posts are more open-ended, offering help in exchange for “any of my skills” or simply a ride to Halfway Rock.
“It’s different from professional services. Those are still there. It doesn’t replace that,” Nellson said. “It’s the niche. Sometimes you’re thinking of a project, like let’s say landscaping, but you’re not sure if you need to talk with a landscaper or a designer or a mason. This gives you maybe a bit of an inside look at how you want to go about your project. I think it’s really the idea that everybody has something to offer.”
Nellson said the group can also be used for non-material exchanges. For example, she may seek out a lawyer or a chef willing to talk with her teenage child about whether they truly want to pursue that career path.
The idea first started with a group in Marblehead, before Nellson decided to expand to Swampscott. She said she didn’t “want the idea to be taken and become something that it’s not.”
“I want to make sure that I set it up for success and lead in that sense with the idea of what it offers, without it being abused or represented as something it’s not,” Nellson said. “It’s able to help somebody in so many different ways.”
As the group continues to grow and more people begin posting, Nellson plans to work with a Swampscott High School student to help monitor the page, offer guidance and encourage participation. She said they may also encourage companies or organizations to post, noting the group is for everyone, not just individuals.
“It’s just a voluntary mutual exchange,” Nellson said. “I’m hoping to grow this more and more…I think there’s definitely opportunities. It’s utilizing something we already have, the resources we have, the kindness, seeking the connections and I think why not develop that and tap into the resources you may have in town.”
