When Jade Pearce posted on the Wallingford & Fremont Community Facebook page in June, she had no idea what she was getting into. The response to her invitation for community lunches was, in her words, “overwhelming.”
“I’m so humbled by it,” Pearce said over lunch at Ha! on Aug. 16. “People are hungry to connect. It’s telling, what our society needs deep down.”
Pearce, who recently moved to Fremont from Magnolia, owns a notary and bookkeeping service and was driven to start connecting with her new neighborhood. Her inspiration came from an unlikely source: a podcast about a military spouse who committed to having 52 lunches with community members to build her network after each military move.
Pearce liked the concept but cut the number in half due to scheduling constraints. What she discovered when she posted her idea surprised her: the community was eager to connect.
The lunches have brought together a remarkably diverse group, from a 22-year-old recent college graduate to a 72-year-old longtime resident. “I wouldn’t have connected with these people any other way,” Pearce said. She celebrates each meeting with a follow-up post and photo on Facebook, and has already begun running into her new connections around the neighborhood.
“It doesn’t have to be a long conversation, just saying hi and knowing people is great,” she explained.
For Pearce, these meals represent what she calls a “microform of activism,” an opportunity to connect and learn from new people, to put a face to a name and humanize community relationships.
Her commitment to community building runs deep. A former California resident who served in the Army National Guard Reserve and grew up as a military dependent, Pearce has “always had a thirst for community.” She operates a mobile notary service on weekends and plans to volunteer those services to the community.
The outdoors played a role in her move from California, and this fall she’ll begin pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Washington. Her background in sociology informs her understanding of the human drive for connection.
“We can all get involved and do our own part to build stronger communities,” Pearce said.
After just a few months in Fremont, Pearce has already formed strong impressions of her new home.
“I’m so impressed by Fremont and the strength of community,” she said.
For neighbors interested in connecting with Pearce or learning more about her 26 Lunches initiative, they can find her posts on the Wallingford/Fremont Community Facebook page. You can also contact editor@fremontneighbor.com to get connected.