Friends House Residents Foster a Strong Culture of Caring

Friends House, one of the smaller Front Porch communities, is a place with a big heart. “As a small community, we know all other residents and are able to support one another,” noted Steve, a longtime Friends House resident. “Having watched the place evolve over the last 20 years, I’m glad to know we have landed in a good place.”

Located in Sonoma County, Friends House opened in 1984 as a Quaker-inspired community centered on the values of peace, integrity, simplicity, and equality. A Friends House founder said in an article about the new community, “we got exactly what we had wanted and planned: a small community where everyone would know everyone else and feel a sense of belonging.”

That sense of belonging has nurtured a strong culture of caring and generosity throughout the resident community, their family members and friends. The Front Porch Communities Foundation recently received a generous gift for Friends House from a granddaughter who said her grandmother “just loves living there.”

Several residents have made gifts through the Foundation to continue landscaping improvements, addressing fire-readiness needs, improving drought tolerance, and enhancing the natural beauty of the Friends House campus.

Steve and his wife Sally make a generous annual gift because their community is important to them and, as Quakers, they want to support causes that resonate deeply with them.

Maureen, a newer Friends House resident, echoed that sentiment. “As a Quaker, I believe in doing as much as one is able for the causes and places I care about. Before I lived at Friends House and was working professionally in the nonprofit sector, I didn’t have extra income to make philanthropic gifts. Now, I have fewer demands on my money, so I can support these wonderful organizations, and I feel good about that,” she said. “I started making a monthly contribution to the resident assistance fund (now called the Circle of Friends) so that there would be funds for others who outlive their resources. At Friends House, I feel like we all give what is needed when it is needed.”

To learn more about Friends House, visit our community website or fill out the form below.