NELSONVILLE, Ohio –– On Sundays in Nelsonville, a multigenerational crowd can be found around a communal table, sharing dishes, stories and laughs.
Nelsonville Community Dinners hosts its weekly meal 5–8 p.m. Sundays. The dinners were launched in late summer by Jolene Aili Mckee and her partner, Simon Jacob Rutter, who are raising their 2-year-old son in Nelsonville.
The weekly event revives the legacy of community meals held on Thursdays when the couple were teenagers in Nelsonville, around 2018. Mckee and her partner revived the tradition to make a difference in the community.
“When we were younger, there [were] Thursday night community dinners,” Mckee said. “We know how it impacted us growing up, and figured we should try and do something like that to continue on.”
Community meals they attended rotated locations and were launched by Dottie Fromal, who no longer lives in the area, but keeps in contact with the organization. As a young man, Rutter helped Fromal start the event.
“She loves that we revived it,” Mckee said. “She said that she’s very proud, and she likes what we’ve done with it.”
All but one Nelsonville Community Dinners organizer grew up attending those Thursday meals, and found them formative, Mckee said. The organization’s board is made up of six members, four of whom grew up in Nelsonville.
Dinners are prepared by Rutter and his brother, Garrett, who is president of the organization. The menu varies. Volunteer Dakota Saul often provides dishes, too; community members bring entrees and sides.
“That way, everybody can eat,” Mckee said.
Fruits and veggies are always available, and main courses have included chicken, brisket, pizza, spaghetti, and cookout-style burgers.
In warm months, Nelsonville Community Dinners are held outside at Polley Field, known to some as the Old Field. Each week roughly 30 people attend the dinners, Mckee said, although they’ve sometimes hosted upwards of 50.
As the government withholds food assistance benefits from Ohioans, Mckee said the dinner organizers expect an influx of new attendees.
With extra attention on food insecurity, the moment may also draw in volunteers who are looking for a way to help hungry neighbors. Individuals interested in participating can give their time or dishes, donate, and spread the word, Mckee said. Organizational sponsors are also welcome.
The dinners aren’t limited to Nelsonville residents, she said –– all are invited to “travel and come eat dinner.”
Around the table, folks introduce themselves and their families, get to know each other, and dream together about what the future holds for Nelsonville and Athens County. Kids get the chance to play while adults discuss community matters.
There is occasional political discussion, Mckee said, but no arguments. It’s a place where people can come to meet their neighbors, and step away from dividing lines.
Nelsonville Community Dinners is looking for locations to host Sunday meals on a rotating basis through the winter. Conversations with interested parties are underway, and Mckee hopes additional potential host locations continue to reach out.
The group recently attained nonprofit status and is registered as a 501c3 through the IRS and state of Ohio.
In the future, Nelsonville Community Dinners hopes to provide additional resources to locals.
“We’re looking for kids toys too, community kids toys, that way all the kids can play with things like basketballs,” Mckee said.
She dreams of holding a book giveaway or something similar at a future Sunday dinner, “where we can just add a little more to it, and give more to the community.”
To learn more about Nelsonville Community Dinners and stay up to date on the weekly meals, see their Facebook page.
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