About Alameda Peeps

About Alameda Peeps

Alameda Peeps is Alameda’s digital town square — a space where civic activism, humor, and community spirit blend seamlessly. Founded on October 11, 2010, we’ve grown from a small private Facebook group into a vibrant community with over 20,400 members on Facebook and 25,800+ members on Alameda Reddit.

While we started on Facebook, we’ve evolved beyond just a single platform. We work closely with our sister community, the Alameda Reddit, organizing campaigns together, supporting local causes, and connecting neighbors across different platforms.

For a detailed history of our community, see our History page.

Our Mission

Alameda Peeps exists to connect neighbors, support our community, and make Alameda an even better place to live. We believe in the power of community and the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.

Whether it’s organizing food drives, supporting local businesses, advocating for safer streets, or simply providing a space for neighbors to connect, we’re committed to strengthening the bonds that make Alameda special.

Alameda Peeps embodies “kindness with edge.” It’s a place where people can disagree, meme, mobilize, and give — all in the same hour. From Keanu Reeves sightings to Food Bank fundraisers, from LimeBike memes to civic debates — Alameda Peeps reflects the best and funniest parts of small-town life in a digital age.

Community Traditions

Over the years, Alameda Peeps has developed its own unique culture and traditions:

• #FIF – Fuck It Friday: Weekly tradition where Peeps post memes, vent, or celebrate the weirdness of Alameda.
• #ClassicPeeps: Used to tag posts that perfectly encapsulate the spirit of the group: funny, dramatic, uniquely local, and unmistakably Alameda.
• #Caturday & Sun Dog Day: Saturdays filled with cat photos, and Sunday’s canine equivalent — a community favorite that balances out midweek arguments.
• #WhatIsThatNoise: The eternal Alameda mystery tag — used for unexplained sounds, lights, or events.

Parking Shaming

Few Alameda Peeps traditions were as infamous — or as effective — as parking shaming. What began as lighthearted accountability for bad parallel jobs or red-zone offenders evolved into one of the group’s longest-running forms of civic comedy.

Members would post photos (license plates blurred, of course) with captions ranging from “creative interpretation of a curb” to “this masterpiece brought to you by Alameda’s finest.” While some took offense, most Peeps embraced the humor — even admitting they’d re-park to avoid ending up “on Peeps.” Over time, it became part of Alameda culture itself: a funny, self-policing reminder that small acts of courtesy still matter.

“Literally this page is about parking shaming… as a frequent member, how could you not think twice before you park in a fire lane?” — JMK, 2017

Self-Promo Mondays

To balance the teasing with community uplift, JMK introduced Self-Promo Mondays — a once-weekly thread where residents and local businesses could share their work without the usual “no ads” rule.

It became a way to highlight artists, small shops, and side hustles while keeping the rest of the week ad-free and conversational. That structure — one day for self-promotion, six for community — helped preserve Peeps’ balance of utility and authenticity.

These two traditions together summed up the Peeps spirit: humor, accountability, and local pride — a mix of “don’t be that guy” and “support your neighbors.”

The Weekly Schedule

Over the years, Alameda Peeps developed a weekly rhythm that balanced community support, humor, and local engagement:

• Monday – Self-Promo Day: Own a business, self-employed, provide a service? Let us know. You can post every Monday.
• Tuesday – Twin Peaks Tuesday: “Cuz where is Laura Palmer?” — a playful weekly mystery.
• Wednesday – Westside Wednesday: A day where Peeps try to visit a west end business and shed some light on Webster St and other places located on the West End.
• Thursday – TBT (Throwback Thursday): Post old stuff about Alameda — or your pics.
• Friday – FIF (Fuck It Friday): Mods don’t moderate. Post anything you like (but nothing crass).
• Saturday – #Caturday: Cats are by far the better between cats and dogs. (This is not up for debate.)
• Sunday – #Sundogday: Dogs and lizards and phish and spiders and hamsters and so on… Dogs are not assholes like cats and they have no problem sharing.

Also worth noting: We’re now all about the Oakland Ballers — the A’s are dead to us. #FJF

Philanthropy & Activism

Alameda Peeps is widely recognized for neighbor‑led philanthropy and rapid community mobilization. Over the years, members have organized fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and mutual‑aid efforts that have been covered by regional media including Alameda Magazine, East Bay Times, Alameda Sun, Alameda Post, and others (Alameda Magazine, Apartment Therapy).

Annual Turkey Drives

Every year, Alameda Peeps organizes Turkey Drives to support the Alameda Food Bank. These drives have become a beloved community tradition, bringing together neighbors to help those in need during the holiday season.

Annual Thanksgiving drives benefit the Alameda Food Bank, frequently raising tens of thousands of dollars to support local families (East Bay Times, Mercury News). Recent examples include campaign totals such as $25,885 in 2021 and ongoing multi‑week efforts in 2022 (AFB 2021 Drive, AFB 2022 Drive). These annual drives continue to be one of our most successful and impactful community initiatives.

Cash Mob Efforts

A Peeps creation: spontaneous shopping events to support local businesses. Alameda Peeps organizes “Cash Mob” efforts to help local businesses and causes. These initiatives encourage community members to support local businesses by shopping at specific locations on designated days.

“Cash mob” efforts to surge support for local merchants and causes — first as flash‑mob style meetups, later expanding online — helped keep dollars circulating in Alameda (East Bay Times).

Notable examples include The Local Café (2019) supporting Coast Guard families during the federal shutdown, Hobnob Restaurant (2020) with a downtown dine-out support event, Rocket Reuse (2020) with a “distanced” pandemic-era cash mob, Café Jolie (2020) hosting the first-ever virtual cash mob, Island Savoy Market (2023) boosting a new local grocer, Kids’ Science Programs (2023) raising funds for school camps, and Rooted in Alameda (2023) providing instant 24-hour Kickstarter support for historian Rasheed Shabazz.

When local Coast Guard families went unpaid during the 2018–2019 federal government shutdown, Peeps organized donation drives, supply collections, and emotional support threads that received hundreds of comments. The outpouring became one of Peeps’ proudest community moments.

Blood Drives

Members regularly partner with the Red Cross on blood drives, boosting supply during critical shortages (Alameda Sun – Critical Need, Alameda Sun – Blood Drive Set).

Slow Down in Town Campaign

In May 2016, after a number of pedestrian accidents, Alameda Peeps organized a “Slow Down in Town” campaign in cooperation with the City of Alameda. This safety initiative aimed to raise awareness about the importance of driving safely in residential areas.

The campaign encouraged motorists to drive at safe speeds, particularly in town, to protect pedestrians and cyclists. This effort demonstrated our community’s commitment to safety and collaboration with city officials.

Northern California Wildfires Support

In 2017, when the October 2017 Northern California wildfires devastated communities, Alameda Peeps stepped up to help. We rented and filled a truck with supplies for victims of the fires.

This effort showcased our community’s willingness to help not just our own neighbors, but also those in surrounding areas during times of crisis.

What’s Open Alameda

During the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, Alameda Peeps members created a directory of local businesses still open and offering takeout and delivery food. This resource helped community members support local businesses during a challenging time.

The City of Alameda recognized the value of this resource and took ownership and maintenance of the list, making it a public resource for the entire city. This collaboration between our community and city government helped support local businesses throughout the pandemic.

Community Shoutouts

Not every local business or cause fits the full “cash mob” treatment — sometimes all that’s needed is visibility.

Peeps use Community Shoutouts to spotlight local shops, makers, and service providers who need a boost — whether because of construction slowdowns, tough seasons, or new openings. These posts invite members to stop by, share, or simply spread the word. They often generate hundreds of comments, recommendations, and photos from neighbors supporting each other in everyday ways.

From a small maritime boutique to a struggling café, these shoutouts keep Alameda’s local economy personal, showing that Peeps support doesn’t always have to mean a fundraiser — sometimes it’s just about showing up and saying something nice.

Group Guidelines & Culture

Alameda Peeps is a place to share information about what’s happening in town: community info and events, endorsements of favorite places, things to do, helpful neighborly advice and requests, lost pets, local politics, and more. While non-related Alameda articles, memes, and funny comics are sometimes posted, the focus remains on local community connection.

Important Guidelines:

• Blocking admins or mods will get you removed. Blocking admin accounts creates bugs in Facebook for moderating the group and makes it impossible for you to see announcements and messages. If you’re wondering why you were removed, check your block list.
• No direct PMs to Peeps about disagreements. If you don’t agree with someone’s opinion or think a post is offensive, PM the mods with a screenshot instead. We’ll review and take action if necessary.
• Do not post pictures of kids unless they belong to you. This is a strict rule to protect children’s privacy.
• Be respectful. Disrespectful language and personal attacks will not be tolerated.
• Small businesses welcome. If you’re a small business owner with a special event or announcement, feel free to post. (And remember: Self-Promo Mondays are your day!)

Keep in mind that we are highly sarcastic and like to poke fun at our first-world problems. The group is not for everyone, and that’s okay. In the midst of all the community work that we do, the page tries to be entertaining in between those efforts.

“Thanks for contributing to this community and there is so much here that I love.”