The generosity of friends contributing to our meal train after our twins were born was a lifesaver. It got me thinking: What if we could create that same sense of community and support for each other, every day?

I was already in a WhatsApp group with a number of moms in our neighborhood, and so I decided to ask if anyone wanted to experiment with a meal swap idea I had. To my delight, two moms responded, and we've been running our little meal swap for the past four months.

The idea is simple:
Every month, each family is picks a week. During that week, they communicate a day that they will do a bulk cook for the other families.

So, once a month, I do one larger cook, and in return, I get two other delicious meals.

It's been a wonderful way to connect with our neighbors and build a stronger community. It's also been a great experience for my toddler, who loves being involved in picking up and dropping off food.

One of the best parts has been the increased touch points and conversations during the pickup. We’ve all gotten to know each family better over time, and sometimes our kids will play for a few minutes, turning the hand-off into a quick, five-minute playdate.

My son, who is fully in his "why" phase, always asks what we are doing and “why”. I'll explain to him that it’s our turn to cook, or that a family is having a busy week so we are helping them like they help us. It's been a tangible way to teach him about community, giving and receiving, and the importance of helping each other.

We're still experimenting and iterating on the format. I’m learning what types of meals are easy to scale up—I’ve found that sheet pan meals in the oven are the easiest, while my neighbors often do a casserole or grill. One time, one of them invited us over for a weekday meal, and it was a treat! It's been a wonderful way to try new dishes and introduce the kids to new foods.

Our supper swap includes three families (including ours), however when I tell other neighbors about it, they are often interested in participating. We don’t have enough cooking supplies to 4x a recipe, and have found that 3x is the sweet spot. However, if we hosted people for the meal, we could probably feed more people.

Feeling inspired? Grab a few friends and try a meal swap of your own!

community: neighborhood supper swap