City of Independence Leads Standout MU Extension Good Neighbor Week Projects Across Missouri

A citywide effort in Independence that generated more than 650 documented direct engagements, removed at least 920 cubic yards of material and attracted more than $20,500 in community support is a leading example of how University of Missouri Extension put neighboring into action during Missouri Good Neighbor Week.

The Love Where You Live: IndeCleanup effort brought together the City of Independence, MU Extension, Community Services League, Extension Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, neighborhood organizations, businesses, volunteers and residents for eight days of community improvement activities.

The Independence effort stands out among 45 projects undertaken by MU Extension councils, 4-H clubs and partners across Missouri during the 2026 celebration.

Three other projects also rose to the top: Butler County Extension Council members personally delivering cards and visiting veterans at a VA nursing home; Andrew County Extension Council members creating birthday cake kits for families experiencing food insecurity; and St. Charles County Extension Council members and office visitors signed over 8,000 cards for sharing with those serving in the military.

Together, these projects demonstrate different dimensions of neighboring: caring for the place where you live, thanking some local helpers, investing personally in relationships and noticing needs that can easily be overlooked.

"These projects are very different, but each captures something important about neighboring," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and founder of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Good neighboring begins when people notice something that could make their community or another person's life better and decide to do something about it."

Missouri Good Neighbor Week is celebrated annually Sept. 28-Oct. 4, although acts of neighboring are reported throughout the year. Missourians reported 84,398 acts of neighboring in 2026, far surpassing the year's goal of 50,000.

No. 1: Independence: Love Where You Live

The Love Where You Live: IndeCleanup, held Sept. 27-Oct. 4, was more than a traditional cleanup day. Organizers created multiple ways for Independence residents to participate, including free bulky-item disposal, neighborhood drop-off sites, park projects, corridor cleanups and community donations.

The numbers were substantial.

The effort produced 652 or more documented direct engagements, including more than 610 resident pickups and drop-off visits and 42 community volunteers. At least 920 cubic yards of material were collected, 450 vehicles used the Free Drop-off Depot, and businesses and community partners contributed more than $20,500 in financial and in-kind support.

City crews provided curbside bulky-item pickup to 160 households, removing 45 dump-truck loads totaling approximately 500 cubic yards. Neighborhood drop-off sites collected another 420 cubic yards of material.

The most significant feature was the collaboration behind those numbers. Community volunteers worked alongside MU Extension Master Gardeners, Community Services League crews, city employees and other partners on litter removal, gardening, landscaping, brush clearing, invasive-species management and improvements to parks and community corridors.

MU Extension and Master Gardeners added an educational component by connecting  hands-on projects with information about horticulture, invasive species and stewardship of public spaces.

Partners included the City of Independence, MU Extension, Extension Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, Community Services League, Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity, Independence Chamber of Commerce, neighborhood organizations, businesses, sponsors and residents.

"Independence is a great example of what can happen when a community decides that taking care of a place is everybody's business," Burton said. "There wasn't one organization doing something for the community. Residents, city government, Extension, nonprofits and businesses were doing something with the community."

No. 2: St. Charles County: Cards of Encouragement

In St. Charles County, the Extension Council demonstrated how a simple handwritten message can connect people across great distances.

Council members and community participants supported an ongoing effort to create approximately 10,000 Christmas cards, with 6,200 cards sent to U.S. military personnel serving overseas and the remainder distributed closer to home.

The project gave participants an opportunity to offer encouragement and appreciation to people they may never meet personally, while reminding service members that people back home were thinking about them.

Sometimes connection begins by taking the time to send a message that says, “You are remembered, and you matter.”

Tie - No. 3: Butler County: Cards Became Conversations

The Butler County Extension Council demonstrated that a much smaller project can have an equally powerful neighboring component.

Council members hand-wrote patriotic greeting cards for veterans living at the VA nursing home in Poplar Bluff. But they didn't stop there.

Instead of simply mailing or dropping off the cards, council members personally delivered them and spent time visiting with the veterans. That personal interaction is what made the project stand out.

"It would have been a worthwhile service project if they had simply written the cards," Burton said. "But they went another step. They showed up. They spent time with the veterans. That moves an activity from service toward relationship, and relationship is at the heart of neighboring."

The project illustrates an important principle behind Missouri Good Neighbor Week: sometimes the most meaningful contribution isn't the item being given. It is the conversation and human connection that accompany it.

Tie - No. 3: Andrew County: Birthday Kits

The Andrew County Extension Council found another easily overlooked opportunity to demonstrate neighborliness.

Council members assembled birthday cake kits for families using the Andrew County Food Pantry. Each kit included cake mix, frosting, plates, napkins, balloons and other supplies needed for a birthday celebration.

The project addressed food insecurity, but it also addressed something less tangible: dignity and belonging.

"A family going through a difficult financial season still wants to celebrate a child's birthday," Burton said. "The Andrew County project recognized a need that goes beyond calories or groceries. It said to a family, and especially to a child, 'Your celebration matters, too.’”

That creativity helped distinguish the project among this year's Extension activities.

Neighboring Took Many Forms Across Missouri

While Jackson, St. Charles, Butler and Andrew counties provide four especially strong examples, Extension councils and 4-H clubs found dozens of other ways to put neighboring into practice.

Food security was a recurring theme. In Cooper County, Extension Council members joined Master Gardeners and 4-H leaders to collect more than 250 canned and boxed food items, pet supplies, books and other goods. Donations were distributed among three little free pantries in Boonville.

Several projects intentionally focused on older Missourians. Dent County Extension Council and staff organized a "Sweets for Seniors" cookie drive benefiting the Salem Senior Center. In Warren County, Extension Council and 4-H participants assembled care bags for senior citizens containing household essentials, snacks and games.

Missouri 4-H members demonstrated that becoming an engaged neighbor can begin at any age. In Webster County, Mighty Eagles members maintained a flower bed at Rogersville City Park, planting fall flowers and adding seasonal decorations. Members also planted flowers in downtown Fordland along Main Street.

It's Not Just About the Numbers

Burton said the range of activities demonstrates why neighboring shouldn't be evaluated only by the number of people served.

"A project reaching hundreds of people can have tremendous value, but so can a 4-H member delivering cards to five neighbors," Burton said. "Neighboring is relational. Sometimes the most important impact happens one person at a time."

That distinction is central to Missouri Good Neighbor Week, which encourages Missourians to move beyond generalized community service toward actions that create connection, trust, reciprocity and belonging.

"The common thread isn't the size of the project," Burton said. "It is the decision to notice someone else and do something that says, 'You matter here.' That's what turns service into neighboring."

Missouri Good Neighbor Week began in 2021 and became an official state observance in 2022. The statewide effort is led by University of Missouri Extension with participation from residents, communities, organizations, businesses and local partners.

WRITTEN BY

David L. Burton

For more information, visit the Engaged Neighbor website. Take our pledge and become part of a movement! Or subscribe to our newsletter. Access some of the research documents written by David Burton, the author of this blog. Or better yet, purchase one of his books off Amazon. Contact David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.