Hearth Dinners
Hearth Dinners are intimate gatherings that create space for meaningful conversation about our fundamental connection to land, to culture, to each other, and to the web of life itself.
These dinners transform the ancient ritual of sharing a meal into a practice of remembering who we are and how we belong to this living world. These dinners have already been hosted in 20 countries, typically 6 to 12 people. We even hosted a Hearth Feast with more than a 1000 changemakers at our Global Hearth Summit in 2025.
You can be a host, too!
We all gather for meals.
A Hearth Dinner is more than a social gathering—it’s an intentional practice of coming together to explore the question at the heart of our times: "How do we live?"
Through the simple yet profound act of sharing food, participants engage in reflection about what it means to gather, to belong, and to live in right relationship with each other and the Earth. These dinners are locally rooted, from the food served to the rituals practiced. They honor the specific contexts and cultures of the places where they occur, while connecting participants to a global movement of people remembering their way home to belonging.
Each dinner is hosted by someone in their community who typically gather 6-14 guests around a single table or gathering space. The intimate size ensures everyone can participate in one shared conversation, creating the conditions for deep listening and authentic connection.
Key Elements of a Hearth Dinner
Intentional Food Selection: Hosts are encouraged to choose meals that tell stories—recipes passed down through generations, dishes made with seasonal and local ingredients, foods that connect participants to place and memory. The selection of what to eat becomes an opportunity to explore relationships with land, culture, and tradition.
Guided Conversation: Rather than free-flowing small talk, hosts guide discussion using 2-3 carefully chosen questions that invite reflection on belonging, relationship, and interconnection.
Questions to help you explore: What lands or places have you felt deeply connected to? What rituals from your past connected you to community and nature? How do we reweave meaningful practices into modern life?
Gratitude Practice: At some point during the meal, the group engages in expressing gratitude for the food, the gathering, and the web of relationships that made the meal possible—from the soil and sun to the hands that prepared it.
Single Conversation: Unlike typical dinner parties with multiple simultaneous conversations, Hearth Dinners maintain one collective dialogue where everyone's voice is heard and all participants engage together in meaning-making.
Phone-Free Space: These gatherings intentionally create space free from digital distraction, honoring the quality of presence that predates our technological age.
Ready to host your own Hearth Dinner?
The Wellbeing Project does not provide monetary support for these events, but we do offer a comprehensive guide to help you plan and host successfully. We encourage you to get creative with funding by organizing potlucks, pooling resources with friends, or seeking local sponsors.