This past year, Paths to Understanding has spent a significant amount of time developing our Potluck Project. This program, PTU’s first nation-wide endeavor, reflects our growing national reach as an organization. We are committed to being locally rooted here in Western Washington and simultaneously being nationally engaged in collaboration and conversation with partners around the United States.
The Potluck Project (formerly Potluck for Democracy) is a toolkit-based approach to supporting communities as they gather with neighbors to do what we all do best – eat and talk together! It sounds so simple to say, “let’s just get together for some food and conversation.” But we know that this can be a deeply complex endeavor.
Though we have seen significant changes in our country in the last 10 years and more, the reality is that these changes have been developing for decades. In a society shaped by 60 years of growing loneliness, greed, and competition, we continue to navigate polarizing political seasons and challenging societal change.
There are many ways that individuals and organizations can respond to this moment. Our primary strategy – one of the most ancient human strategies we have – is to focus on bringing people together from diversity of tradition, culture, and identities to share food and conversation.
We know that this work is difficult—but we also know that it is essential. We deeply believe that the first step to any collective and collaborative change in our world starts with seeing and knowing one another as fellow human beings – honoring our common humanity and taking the time to listen to one another’s stories, needs, and dreams.
As the Potluck Project develops, we continue to have promising conversations with partners here in the Pacific Northwest and partners in other states. Terry, our Executive Director, had the opportunity to join a gathering of the National Council of Churches a few months ago, and just a few weeks ago we joined a large interfaith gathering in San Antonio for our first Potluck in Texas.
We will continue to share stories of Potlucks all around the country, and we hope that you will consider having a potluck in your own community too!