Get to know your neighbors better or gather your friends around and make getting together easy by hosting a potluck!

Step one

Pick the date, time and address and send electronic (think evite.com or make a Facebook event), printed, or handmade invitations. (Hint, hint: print out our cute potluck printable!)

Step two

Once the invites are sent, ask neighbors to volunteer their yards, lawnchairs, folding tables or cooking skills. Use an online tool like SignupGenius.com where everyone can sign up for a main or side dish, dessert, beverages, ice and cups, disposable plates, cutlery and napkins, tables and chairs, game crew, set up crew, and clean up crew. Lining up volunteers ahead of time for the set up and clean up crews makes everything run better and not fall to a few people.

Step three

Set up a variety of food bars or stations at one or two neighboring houses (see my blog post for lots of food bar ideas) like a burger bar, a salad/veggie bar, a dessert bar and beverage station. Use your driveway, front porch, front yard - spread things out a little so people can walk and mingle too.

Step four

If you have a younger neighborhood, pick a home or front yard to be the game station and have neighbors pitch in with a basketball hoop, sidewalk chalk, croquet, ladder golf, or corn toss games. Even if there aren't a lot of kids, having some of these games are great ice breakers for adult neighbors who might not know each other well.

Step five

Send emails a few days before to remind guests what they signed up to do/bring. As the organizer, make sure you aren’t cooking or setting up - you are coordinating everyone and available for questions that arise. Oversee the set up and then pull up a lawn chair and drink and enjoy getting to know your neighbors better!