Despite all the organizations on the Island dedicated to helping those in need, some needs go unmet. The backers of a new Web site hope to change that.

NetworkofNeighbors.com, which goes live in August, is the brainchild of Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt of Edgartown.

The philosophy of the project is grounded in the old practice of bartering. Inspiration for it came through reminiscence. Ms. DuArt, who spent summers on the Island as a child, wanted to return to the idea of neighbors helping neighbors that had defined her grandfather’s life here. “We have that altruistic attitude on the Island anyway,” Ms. DuArt said in an interview at their Edgartown home on Davis Lane this week.

The Internet has made connecting easier, but has also kept people from connecting on an individual level, she said. “We’re so busy connecting that we forget about the personal connection.” But that’s the idea behind Network of Neighbors. Someone with a need can post it on the Web site and someone who can meet the need can respond.

“A neighbor can help . . . and they in turn can help someone else,” Ms. DuArt said. “The idea is to create a social community online where Islanders can go and register and have a neighborly place to gather, but a place where they can express their needs. Whatever those needs are,” Mr. Rushnell added. The Web site also can act as a referral site to other agencies such as Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, they said. “A lot of people don’t know how to connect with those places,” Mr. Rushnell said. “There are also a lot of needs that fall between the cracks.”

Mr. Rushnell and Ms. DuArt shared stories that helped inspire their project. There was the woman who needed to travel to a hospital in Boston each week to visit her son, but had no one to help with her old dog. She was telling this to an acquaintance at the hardware store when he offered to watch her dog while she was away. Another story is set in Menemsha, where a young mother had fallen on hard times. A seasonal family heard about her troubles and offered their home to her as a place to live for the winter. That was a huge help, but she still had trouble feeding her family. Menemsha fishermen heard about this and started leaving fresh fish on her doorstep. To thank them, the mother began leaving freshly-baked cookies on the fishing boats in the morning. All this took place without anyone actually seeing each other. “That’s the quintessential Island story,” Ms. DuArt smiled. “I think it’s an O. Henry story,” Mr. Rushnell joked.

Additionally they hope to use the Web site to archive actual examples of good deeds, and have secured the use of the MVTV studio to record the stories. They think of the Web site as a “community place where people can share their stories,” Mr. Rushnell said.

“I think this Island is really like a country unto itself,” continued Ms. DuArt. “We’ve been put in a situation where we really do have to help each other . . . I think the best thing you can do is to touch someone’s life with an act of kindness.”

Already the Web site has a troop of helpers who call themselves the LemonAid BrigAid. Led by eight-year-old Marjorie Pendergraft, the BrigAid sells lemonade from roadside stands, and all the money raised goes into Network of Neighbors.

The Web site address is NetworkofNeighbors.com. The official launch of the site is August 1, but members can sign up now. A fund-raising event is planned for July 30 at the regional high school performing arts center featuring funny man Tim Conway from the Carol Burnett Show, along with Ms. DuArt, who is a seasoned performer and comedian and has worked with Mr. Conway for many years. Admission is free; tickets can be obtained by registering at the Network of Neighbors Web site.

And that’s no laughing matter.