Together Around Food in Port Townsend

You’re Invited to Something Extraordinary

What if sharing a meal could help build a healthier, more connected, and more compassionate community?

From June 20 to July 4, Together Around Food invites everyone in Port Townsend and Jefferson County to enjoy three free gourmet plant-based meals every day, prepared by world-renowned chef Marlene Watson-Tara and an international team of volunteers. More than a dining experience, this 15-day community gathering will feature inspiring talks, meaningful conversations, health and wellness opportunities, and new ways to connect with neighbors.

Come for the food. Stay for the inspiration. Be part of an experiment in community, health, and hope that could help shape a model for communities around the world.

Free. Open to all. Come hungry. Leave inspired.

Fifteen Days of Free Community Dining, Inspiration, and Connection

June 20 – July 4, 2026 | Port Townsend & Chimacum, Jefferson County, Washington

You Are Invited to Something Extraordinary

Imagine a place where anyone can gather around the table, share nourishing food, meet new friends, and explore solutions for personal, community, and planetary wellbeing.

From June 20 through July 4, the communities of Port Townsend and Chimacum will host the inaugural launch of Together Around Food—fifteen consecutive days of free communal dining, featuring three gourmet plant-based meals every day, educational presentations, community conversations, and opportunities for meaningful connection.

Come Hungry. Leave Inspired.

At the heart of the event is internationally respected gourmet plant-based chef and nutrition educator Marlene Watson-Tara, who will be preparing extraordinary meals with heart, passion, and purpose alongside volunteers and chefs from the global Loving Hut community.

Each day will include:

• Three free gourmet plant-based meals
• Inspiring community presentations
• Short educational talks on food, health, and sustainability
• Speed-networking sessions to help neighbors connect
• Opportunities to learn from local and international experts
• A welcoming environment open to everyone

The decision to launch Together Around Food in Jefferson County grew out of relationships formed through the Global Ecological Restoration Conference (GERC), which brought together environmental organizers, ecological restoration practitioners, and food-system innovators from around the world.

Longtime community organizer Rick Lukens helped cultivate the local partnerships that made the project possible. Two local organizations—United Earth Networks and PT Veg—along with many local volunteers, are leading the effort on the ground.

They are joined by an international coalition including:

• Climate Healers
• Loving Hut, the international vegan restaurant network, whose volunteer chefs and kitchen teams will prepare and serve meals throughout the launch with the blessing of Supreme Master Ching Hai
• The Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute, providing medical and nutritional guidance
• The Human Ecology Project, led by gourmet vegan nutrition specialists Bill Tara and Marlene Watson-Tara
• The Plant Based Treaty, the international campaign advocating for food systems that operate within planetary boundaries

Fifteen Days, Three Meals, One Declaration

The launch unfolds in three phases.

Phase I (June 9–19): Community Outreach

Prior to the official launch, organizers will engage residents, local businesses, nonprofits, and civic leaders in conversations about the vision behind Together Around Food.

Phase II (June 20–July 4): Fifteen Days of Free Dining

For fifteen consecutive days, anyone can enjoy free, ultra-nutritious gourmet meals while participating in presentations, discussions, and community-building activities.

Participants will also have the option to receive basic biometric screenings before and after the fifteen-day experience, with results reviewed alongside healthcare professionals from the Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute. The goal is to allow participants to experience and measure the impact of nourishing food choices on their own health.

Phase III (Beginning July 5): Building a Permanent Community Resource

The vision extends far beyond a single event.

Organizers hope Together Around Food will continue indefinitely in Jefferson County as a permanent community gathering place—refining the model, documenting outcomes, and creating a blueprint that can be replicated in communities around the world.

Declaration of Independence, Reloaded

The fifteen-day gathering culminates on July 4 with the presentation of a community-authored Declaration of Independence, Reloaded.

Grounded in compassion, stewardship, unity, and freedom from preventable suffering, the declaration reimagines independence not as separation, but as interdependence—celebrating our shared responsibility to care for one another, animals, and the living world.

A Model for the Future

Together Around Food was conceived as a proof of concept for a simple but powerful question:

What happens when a community makes nutritious food, connection, and belonging available to everyone?

Organizers believe that shared meals—offered freely, consistently, and at scale—can help address some of society’s most pressing challenges, including social isolation, chronic disease, food insecurity, and ecological degradation.

The launch will be documented on film as a case study to share with policymakers, community leaders, and international delegates, including presentations planned around major global climate and sustainability gatherings later this year.

Help Needed

If this vision resonates with you, there are many ways to participate:

• Donate to help fund meals and unlock matching support through VegFund and other grant programs.
• Volunteer in food preparation, hospitality, logistics, outreach, or event support.
• Spread the word through your networks, organizations, and media channels.
• Join us for a meal and experience the project firsthand.

For fifteen days, the tables will be set, the kitchens will be staffed, and the doors will be open.

Everyone is welcome.

Port Townsend and Chimacum, Washington
June 20 – July 4, 2026

Three meals a day. Every day. Free for everyone.