#9: Eat

Love Your Neighbor Challenge

Everybody eats. Several times a day, in fact. Why not share one of those meals with a neighbor?

Your challenge on the Love Your Neighbor Challenge is to invite a neighbor to eat with you. This simple gesture of hospitality can help end the epidemic of loneliness plaguing so many homes in our neighborhoods (perhaps even your own), and it’s a direct reflection of how Jesus lived and moved among us. Jesus did some of His most important ministry at the dinner table in the homes of ordinary people – from Matthew the despised tax collector in Capernaum to confused Cleopas in Emmaus.

Here are tips for both introverts and extroverts with budgets big and small.

Have a Big Party

Invite several homes over to eat together. Tell your neighbors you’re inviting others so they catch the excitement.
If anyone offers to bring something, have a ready list of suggestions such as bread, salad, soda pop, ice cream, or an appetizer.
Host a pizza potluck, where everyone brings their favorite homemade, store-bought or restaurant pizza to share. Supply chips, drinks and brownies for a complete meal.
To accommodate many different tastes, serve a taco bar or pasta bar – or try a charcuterie board.
Have a dessert party! Make an ice cream sundae bar with all the toppings.

Host a Small Gathering

Invite one neighbor for breakfast. It’s less intimidating to share a morning meal that doesn’t have four courses. Breakfast recipes also tend to be simple to cook and affordable to make. Here are some to breakfast recipes to try: Allrecipes.com, Food Network, food.com, The Kitchn, Yummly
Splurge on a fancy little dessert and invite a neighbor to share it with you. Coffee and cookies count!
Be impromptu. Having meatballs for breakfast at my neighbor’s home one Christmas Eve is a special memory, and it only happened because she was spontaneous and kind.

Go Out to Eat

Try a new place or a tried-and-true favorite together.
Meeting at the restaurant can be easier if you don’t know one another well.
Sharing a coupon or lunch special is the perfect excuse to invite a neighbor out to eat.
Check the hours of your favorite restaurant, then meet for coffee after carpool or dessert on Saturday night.
Dining out offers flexibility for food allergies and sensitivities, as they are accustomed to meeting special needs.

When we eat together, beautiful things happen! But when we’re lonely, we eat poorly—it’s a proven fact. The European Prospective Investigation of Cancer found that loneliness and social isolation lead to a less nutritious diet that lacks vegetables and variety. Dine with a neighbor and let us know how it goes! There’s no better time to use your good china… but don’t hesitate to use your fanciest paper plates and keep it simple.

A dinner of epic proportions

BV Strong Community Dinner

Every September, the residents of Buena Vista, Colorado come together to share a massive meal down the middle of Main Street.

With over 300 tables and 2,600 guests, the BV Strong Community Dinner is a free event that’s organized by volunteers and funded by local donations.

It’s a glimpse of heaven!

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If these tips and tools have given you a new idea, if you’ve met a new neighbor or thought about your neighbors in a different way, would you please let me know?

Contact me or message me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to hear your stories!