Potlucks & Perspectives is a grassroots, community-led event designed to bring people together and connect through common values. It is an opportunity for neighbors, students, or colleagues to gather, share food, swap stories, and celebrate the people who make their community tick. Simply hosting this gathering is an act of service in itself; it brings people together to learn about one another, bridge differences, and unite neighbors through the shared core value of service.

The Goal 

Primary goal: Bring neighbors together to uncover local “unsung champions” and learn about what service to others looks like in their community. 

Secondary goal: Capture and contribute the community’s story of service to Our American Story, a national storytelling initiative highlighting America’s culture of service for the 250 & Beyond milestone.

How it works

1. Choose Your Gathering Style

The beauty of Together Tuesday is its flexibility. Organizers can adapt the format to fit their neighborhood’s vibe and schedule. Here are some community gathering ideas:

• A morning brew: Host a casual 8:00 AM coffee hour at a local cafe or community center before the workday begins.
• The park picnic: A family-friendly afternoon gathering at a local park where everyone brings their own blanket and lunch.
• All American BBQ: A classic backyard or community park cookout. Fire up the grill, share some burgers and hot dogs, and let the casual, celebratory atmosphere naturally inspire stories of civic pride and local heroes.
• The neighborhood potluck: An evening gathering where sharing a meal breaks the ice and sets a warm, communal tone for storytelling.

Helpful resources:

• Event planning checklist
• Event invitation Canva template: use this Canva template to create your event invitations! 

2. The Core Activity: “The Service Story Exchange”

To keep the event focused without feeling like a formal meeting, provide a structured but relaxed storytelling activity. Here are some ideas and resources:

Story Prompts

How it works: Place a stack of “Story Prompts” in the center of the table or picnic blanket. Guests take turns drawing a card and either sharing their own experience or lifting up someone else in the room.

Example Prompts:

• What was the first time you realized you wanted to help out in this community, and what did you do?
• Who is someone in our neighborhood who works tirelessly behind the scenes, and what is the impact of their work?
• If our community is remembered 250 years from now, what act of service or local tradition do you hope is in the history books?
• Share a time a community project didn’t go as planned, and how the neighborhood pulled together to fix it.

Community Interviews

An activity that invites people of all ages to connect across generations and explore the places we call home. Using a simple “placemat” guide, participants interview someone they know—or hope to know better—about their experiences, uncovering the strengths and needs of their community. Free printable resource available at www.nmcfs.org/resources, 

Values Cards

Values cards are a way to bring the spirit of service to life. Simple yet powerful, they invite us to reflect on what matters most and imagine how to put our values into action. Each card names a value and offers a short definition, creating opportunities to pause, connect, and be inspired. Free printable resource available at www.nmcfs.org/resources. 

3. Connecting your community as part of Our American Story

The ultimate goal of this activity is to capture these moments and submit them to the Our American Story campaign, sharing your communities story as part of a national narrative of Doing Good at www.250andbeyond.com/OurAmericanStory. As the host, you serve as the bridge between local stories and this national call to action.

Capture and submit:

• A video station: Set up a quiet corner with a smartphone on a tripod. After the group activity, invite individuals to record a 30-90 second video summarizing the story they just told.
• Photo & text option: For those who are camera-shy, snap a great photo of them at the BBQ or potluck and have them write down a brief account of their service story on a provided submission card.
• The story wall: Have a pile of sticky notes, and identify a wall to serve is the Story Wall. Encourage participants to write a story that inspired them today and post it on the Story Wall. 

Host Tip: Make it clear in your invitations that participating in the recording is entirely optional. The primary goal is community connection; contributing to the Our American Story archive is a beautiful, voluntary bonus.

This event does more than just unite your community—it’s the foundational first step in building a local Museum of Service! Keep the connection going alongside communities nationwide who are curating their own histories of helping others. Check out the toolkits to learn how to get started!

In partnership with Giving Tuesday for #TogetherTuesday

What is Together Tuesday?

Together Tuesday happens annual on the 4th Tuesday in June. It is a movement that uplifts the spirit of generosity in local communities across the country. It invites individuals, nonprofits, and community leaders to organize simple acts of care that make generosity visible.