2026 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 181

Commending The Longest Table.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 2, 2026

WHEREAS, The Longest Table is a nonprofit-supported community movement that brings individuals of diverse backgrounds together for shared meals and conversation, with the primary purpose of building connection, strengthening neighbors' sense of belonging, and reducing social isolation in communities across the nation; and

WHEREAS, The Longest Table began as a simple idea in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City in 2022, when neighbors, emerging from the social challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, set up a long communal table down a city block and invited hundreds of people to share food, stories, and friendship; and

WHEREAS, The Longest Table movement, now supported by the nonprofit organizational effort of NYCNext, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity, has expanded to more than 50 cities nationwide and internationally, inspiring countless similar gatherings that promote community engagement and human connection; and

WHEREAS, The Longest Table events are typically free and open to the public, inviting attendees to sign up in advance, to bring dishes for a community potluck, and to sit alongside neighbors, acquaintances and strangers alike, at one continuous table; and

WHEREAS, The Longest Table volunteers, known as “Table Captains,” help coordinate groups, designate shared dishes, greet participants, and facilitate friendly, inclusive conversation to enhance the sense of shared community; and

WHEREAS, participants in The Longest Table events frequently report positive community outcomes, including making new connections, increasing positive feelings about their neighborhood, feeling less isolated, and being inspired to engage more broadly in civic and social activities; and

WHEREAS, on May 3, 2025, the Town of Vienna hosted its own The Longest Table community gathering on Mill Street adjacent to the Vienna Town Green, accommodating four hundred participants along two long tables for a lively potluck lunch, music, lawn games, and fellowship among neighbors and families of all ages; and

WHEREAS, The Longest Table event in Vienna, organized with the support of local sponsors and volunteers and benefiting the local nonprofit Rustic Love in its mission to support individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, exemplified the best of civic engagement, neighborly care, and shared purpose; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That The Longest Table community-building initiative hereby be commended for its outstanding contributions to fostering unity, compassion, and connection through shared communal meals; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the organizers of The Longest Table as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the efforts of the community-building initiative's organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and participants to strengthen community bonds and model the spirit of neighborly fellowship and service to others in the Commonwealth.