Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined with others in the community in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, July 26, to combat loneliness.
They set up a mile of tables and chairs — snaking through the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver — and then filled the tables with food along with Longer Tables, an organization working to create environments “where all people — no matter their story, background or identity — are connected, seen and feel like they belong.”
People in the community were invited to come and share a meal with people they didn’t know in an effort to build new connections.
Tim Jones, founder and executive director of Longer Tables, said the table is the most natural place to start attacking the epidemic of isolation and loneliness.
“Because it’s so human, it’s home for everybody,” he said. “There’s something just absolutely sacred and beautiful about sharing a meal with others. And when we share a meal with people unlike ourselves, it has a power to connect us on a deeper level.”
Missionaries and others who volunteered at the “Mile-Long Table” event found out about the opportunity through the JustServe platform, which is a free website and app where community organizations list their service needs and where volunteers can find service opportunities around them.
Elder Vinesio Tausaga from Samoa, serving in the Colorado Denver North Mission, was among those who helped prepare the tables and put out the food.
“I was so excited to do service,” he said. “The two great commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor, so that’s the reason I’m always excited to do service.”
Jones said 3,400 people attended the event and sat down together for lunch.
Members of the Denver Colorado North Stake worked with others in the community to support the event.
Sharon Brost, who serves as the Denver Colorado North Stake JustServe specialist, said the event warmed her heart to see that relationships members in the area have been working to create are real.
“You get to know them, and they become like family,” she said. “They’re coming to the table, and we’re breaking bread together. It doesn’t matter what your religion is, it doesn’t matter what your beliefs are, it’s just about sitting down and being kind to one another.”
Sister Jocymaria Songo’imoli from Tonga, also serving in the Colorado Denver North Mission, said she welcomed the opportunity to show her love for the people in the community through her service.
“When we serve others, they are happy, but we are happier,” she said.
Jones encouraged others to not feel limited by a lofty mile-long table in their own efforts to combat isolation and loneliness.
“Whether we’re bringing 3,400 people together across the city or someone just reaches out to their neighbors and says, ‘Hey, let’s do a potluck,’ that will change that entire neighborhood,” he said. “I’ve seen it time and time again.”
