Guests are encouraged to bring a side dish to share, while Schluter and other volunteers prepare the main course or have it catered.
City officials have suggested that he consider moving some future din- ners to G.O. Phippeny Park a few blocks east. They’ve also asked him to come up with $1,300 for a special use permit. His garbage bill has in- creased, and he’s currently working on paying his porta-potty service for this year’s events. His 105-year-old home does experi- ence general wear and tear, but it did recently receive a makeover courtesy of the show, “This Old House.” The PBS home improvement pro- gram, with help from local volun- teers, led the effort that included new flooring, a new barbecue/patio area, paver stones, a kid play area, grad- ing, benches, and more. The final touches came together right as the July 28 dinner was starting, with volunteers lugging bags of bark and heavy stones around guests. Though many people donated their
labor, he’s still trying to pay for the supplies. The episode is expected to air in late 2025 or early 2026. >> What’s ahead Looking ahead, Schluter is fine if the dinners end up a little smaller, if that’s even possible. Donations to the GoFundMe ac- count continue to help with ongoing costs, which will keep going until the dinners start breaking even. He’s also working on several con- cepts inspired by a need for more con- nection. One ongoing project is “Hello From a Stranger,” where Schluter travels around the world to say hel- lo to strangers and ask to take their photo, engage in a genuine conversa- tion, and then invite them to dinner. As of fall 2025, he’s visited 21 coun- ties and photographed more than 1,000 people.
“I do this as a way to try and in- spire the world to put their phones down to talk to one another again,” he said. A related effort is a reality show based on the Monday Night Din- ners, which he hopes could encour- age viewers to implement the concept in their own communities. A 2-minute YouTube trailer shares how everything came together. It opens with Schluter describing “how we’ve forgotten how just to be human with one another” and why it’s vital to just sit together and be part of each other’s lives. “I’m really just hoping what we do inspires the world to start their own backyard dinners,” he said. “It’s something that any of us can do to bring the world closer together.” N
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