NEAT started in early 2017 when St. John’s Episcopal Church offered to lease its church hall to the Arlington EATS food pantry, which was preparing for an upcoming renovation. A small group of volunteers wondered how they could welcome pantry guests and help them get to know the new location. They decided to put on a free dinner, not just for pantry guests and families, but for anyone in the community looking for a warm plate of food and some company. Conversations with Lex Eats Together and Food Link helped flesh out the idea.
With financial support from Arlington’s interfaith community and help from Food Link, they set the tables with flowers and place settings and served guests right where they sat—just like a restaurant. From the beginning, the dinners were community events, not charity. They were intentionally secular, not religious. Everyone was welcome.
One meal became one a month; 10 guests became 60; and Neighbors Eating All Together (NEAT) became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Through the pandemic, NEAT stayed active—delivering a chef-prepared Thanksgiving meal to Arlington seniors, then preparing and freezing soup for distribution through Food Link’s established network of social service agencies. Afterward, NEAT started up again wherever it could find space, eventually settling into Thompson Elementary in the east, Arlington High in the center, and Park Avenue Congregational Church in the Heights.
There are still flowers on the tables and volunteers serving dinner, but now as many as 250 people come to a monthly meal. And, as always, everyone is welcome.
Our Mission
NEAT brings Arlington neighbors together around a free served community meal, creating a welcoming space where everyone belongs, and no one faces hunger or loneliness.
Our Vision
A world where every community has a table like this and where no neighbor goes hungry or eats alone.
Core Values
Dignity
Every neighbor deserves to feel valued. NEAT dinners are designed to honor every guest without barriers or shame. A three-course meal with table service, fresh flowers, and a warm welcome for everyone
Nourishment
Good food is non-negotiable. We partner with local organizations to bring fresh, delicious food to every table, because fighting food insecurity should never mean settling for less.
Community
We believe meals are more than food. They are a way of building real connection between people of Arlington from all backgrounds and circumstances. Fighting loneliness and nourishing community connection, one dinner at a time.
Our Team
NEAT is run entirely by a volunteer board and volunteers, so every dollar donated goes directly to the dinners themselves.
Jodi Auerbach, Board Chair
Cate Barr
Ivan Basch, Clerk
Ellen Basch, Treasurer
Frank Foster
Julie Lucey
Scott Peterson
Zack Phillips