Simple Meal

A Simple Meal is a shared practice of intentional eating, reflection, and conversation that invites gratitude, deepens community, and helps us explore what it means to live with enough.

All of us carry a memory—or can imagine the feeling—of a truly nourishing meal: good food, shared laughter, meaningful conversation, and a sense of belonging. For many years, Right Sharing of World Resources has invited communities to gather around a Simple Meal as a way to build connection, practice gratitude, and reflect on how our daily choices are linked to the lives of others across the world.

The Simple Meal is both an experience and an invitation. As we meet one another at the table, we also meet the many human and more-than-human lives touched by the food before us. This shared practice encourages awareness of how our consumption, values, and resources are intertwined—and how we might live more simply, generously, and intentionally.

Why a Simple Meal?

Sharing a Simple Meal helps us pause and notice:

• Gratitude for the many gifts that sustain us, recognizing that none of us is self-sufficient
• The reality that many people around the world lack adequate food and resources due in part to unequal consumption
• That smaller portions of nourishing food can be satisfying, joyful, and kinder to the Earth
• Eating together as a powerful ritual that can strengthen community and deepen relationships

The Simple Meal is not about restriction. It is about enough—enough food, enough care, and enough awareness to nourish both body and spirit.

What Does a Simple Meal Look Like?

A Simple Meal can be adapted to many settings: a meeting gathering, a faith community, a classroom, a home, or a special event. There is no single “right” way to host one. What matters most is the intention behind the meal.

Meals are often built around simple, wholesome foods such as:

• Vegetarian soups or stews
• Bread or grains
• Fruit or vegetables
• Water or tea

Whenever possible, hosts are encouraged to consider locally sourced ingredients, ecologically responsible practices, and the diverse dietary needs of those gathered.

To deepen the experience, participants are invited to share not only the eating, but also the preparation, serving, and cleanup—making the meal a collective act of care.

Choices at the Table

The Simple Meal invites reflection on the choices we make as we fill our plates, including:

• Where food comes from and how it is produced
• How much food is “enough”
• How personal needs and community needs intersect

These choices are not about judgment, but about growing awareness together.

Conversation and Reflection

Conversation is an essential part of the Simple Meal. Thoughtful queries help guide reflection and encourage everyone to share their voice. These conversations often explore nourishment, values, consumerism, and our shared responsibility to one another and the Earth.

The Simple Meal is a practice of awareness, gratitude, and connection. Wherever and however you gather, may your table be a place of nourishment–for you and for our wider world.