“The table is, in my humble opinion, the most powerful place for connection to take place,” says Tim Jones, founder and executive director of Longer Tables. By hosting donation-based meals for diverse groups, the Denver-based nonprofit aims to alleviate loneliness.

The isolation issue is so widespread that the U.S. Surgeon General has labeled it an “epidemic,” with research indicating adverse effects to the physical, mental and emotional health of individuals, as well as communities. This public advisory was issued in 2023, ten years after Longer Tables’ inception.

Seclusion is not a new problem. Even before the pandemic, studies found that about half of American adults reported measurable signs of social disconnection. Those most at risk include people with mental or physical health issues, disabilities and financial insecurity. Young adults, seniors, single parents, solo households and marginalized groups also experience higher rates of isolation.

In short, tens of millions are struggling with loneliness — but the immense scale of the crisis has not deterred Longer Tables. Since its establishment, a total of more than 4,500 guests have attended over a hundred events in five states. Last July, Longer Tables hosted a free catered meal for 528 people in Civic Center Park. On Saturday, July 26, the organization will feed ten times that when it hosts the Mile Long Table.

Jones has envisioned this project for nine years and finally, with proper funding and partners, it will come to fruition at the Auraria Campus. Spanning 5,280 feet, the cross-stitched table layout will accommodate an incredible 5,280 people. “We're not doing this to set records,” he affirms. “Sitting down and breaking bread with human beings that may not look like us or have the same ideas or perspectives — that's what this table is about.”

Jones adds that the campaign is a story of “collective identity,” encompassing everyone from recent immigrants to families like his who have lived in Colorado for five generations. “At the Mile Long Table, there's a sense that we all belong in our city and we need every person to make this city all that it can be," he says.

Admission to the unprecedented event will start at 10 a.m. and locally-made mocktails will be promptly provided, courtesy of Peak Beverage and Grüvi. A welcome from Longer Tables, as well as Southwest Airlines and other key sponsors, will occur on-stage at 11 a.m., followed by the family-style luncheon.

While not enforced, participants are encouraged to sit apart from the people they know. There is to be no talk of work or job titles. Rather, prompt cards will encourage deeper conversations around ambitions and values, which are often shared despite wide differences in backgrounds.

On the tables, sourdough from Reunion Bread will rest alongside platters of grilled chicken supplied by the Hispanic Restaurant Association. Lakewood-based Serendipity Catering will provide all other salad bar items: scratch-made dressing, fresh greens and vegetables, ancient grains that reflect Colorado’s Indigenous heritage and pinto beans that pay tribute to the Chicanos who occupied the Auraria neighborhood before their displacement in the 1960s.

Starting at 12:30 p.m., the Mile Long Table will host a range of activities. Displaced Auraria residents will share their stories and desires for healing, while folklórico dancers and communal paint projects will entertain guests. Outside the Golda Meir House Museum, a table will be set with vintage dinnerware once used by the former Israeli prime minister, who often hosted her own community gatherings.

The event will wrap up at 1:30 p.m. Co-host packages with ten tickets are priced at $75, while individual tickets require a minimum donation of $5.28. However, Jones notes, “You are welcome to just show up as well. Unhoused people, people walking through campus — there is a seat for you.”

He concludes, “If we want to be a great city and we want to start dealing with the crisis that is human isolation, we believe there's no more powerful place than the Mile Long Table. I'm excited about our city being a leader and showing the rest of the country what it looks like to come together.”

The Mile Long Table event will take run from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, on the Auraria campus, 1201 Fifth Street. Minimum donation of $5.28 for individual admission; registration closes at 5 p.m. July 19 at milelongtable.org.