What are some things that Sam does that people don’t bother with in Seedfolks?

Unlike many in the neighborhood Sam wants to bring members of the community together. Despite his advanced years he has an energy and a determination to make this happen that would put most people half his age to shame. He's forever organizing things, whether it's a contest for neighborhood kids to work out how they can collect water for garden plants or setting up the community garden itself.
Sam regards this kind of thing as important; otherwise, people would just go about their lives in their own little worlds, without talking to each other. Sam sees the bigger picture, as it were, in a way that few others in the neighborhood do. He knows that this little corner of Cleveland could be so much better than it is, if only people would put aside their differences and come together as one.