150 Tables
“Gather a few people from your neighborhood at the table… As you do, our city becomes more connected and more compassionate.”
Practice
Find a Co-host
You can host a table on your own, but it is more meaningful to invite neighbors to help, and working together cultivates connection.
Determine a Location
Set a table in or near your home—dining room, backyard, driveway, or a nearby park.
Choose a Date and Time
Most table gatherings work best when they last about two hours. It can be an evening, Sunday afternoon, or weekend brunch.
Plan the Meal
Put food provisions on the table from your neighbor's kitchen, a local caterer, or your favorite restaurant. A potluck is a great way to spread out the responsibility of providing the food.
Invite Your Neighbors
Distribute invitations a few weeks before and send a reminder a few days before. Create an invitation and knock on your neighbor’s doors to invite them personally.
Prepare the Environment
Important items include tables, chairs, plates, cups, utensils, drinks, trash and recycling bags, and name tags. Show intentionality with tablecloths and use plants, fruits, or vegetables as table decor.
Welcome and Connect
Greet neighbors as they arrive and invite them to sit with someone they don’t yet know. Ask a few simple questions to help neighbors get to know each other. Implement the rules of the table: no job talk and no sales pitches. Be your real self, and in doing so, invite others to do the same.
As Colorado celebrates 150 years as the Centennial State, there is a movement for individuals and organizations to set 150 Tables Across Colorado. By encouraging people to come together to share a meal, seeds of connection and compassion are planted in the communities of Colorado. The table movement is coordinated by local nonprofit Longer Tables, which focuses on bringing together cities, neighborhoods, organizations, and individuals at longer tables.
Colorado Springs is a city supporting the 150 Tables Across Colorado movement. Facilitated by the nonprofit, Hey Neighbor, their city is inviting neighbors to share a meal, connect face-to-face, and strengthen the places where they live. “The goal is simple: Meet your neighbors. Share a meal. Build community.” Their message is clear. “Hosting a table does not need to be complicated to be meaningful.” Colorado Springs Mayor, Yemi Mobolade, shared a personal message about the movement, “Gather a few people from your neighborhood at the table… As you do, our city becomes more connected and more compassionate.”
Kelly Bull is the Executive Director of Hey Neighbor. She shared a few of the creative ways people are hosting tables for their neighbors in Colorado Springs. “One woman called a coffee food truck that came out to her street. She did the work to close the street, put out two folding tables, and invited all her neighbors to bring breakfast foods to share.” Kelly delights in the simplicity and creativity of neighbors hosting a table. “Another neighbor put a table in their garage to provide shade and invited their neighbors to a garage dinner party.” The priority is neighborly connection more than a beautiful location or elaborate decoration.
There is a diverse spectrum of tables across Colorado, from cities hosting hundreds of neighbors down main street to individuals hosting a handful of neighbors in their backyards. The practice of 150 Tables Across Colorado invites everyone in Colorado to join in a movement of hospitality, connection, and belonging.
Thank you to Kelly Bull with Hey Neighbor and Tim Jones with Longer Tables for their contributions to this article and commitment to hosting neighbors at the table.
