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Opinion: To stave off loneliness, one town draws on a fading American tradition

The World Happiness Report found that sharing meals is as strongly tied to well-being as income or employment status.

People from the town join together at Rice’s Mills Community Association monthly potluck — an event that has been going on for 60 years in Thetford, Vt., Nov. 16, 2025. (Nick Meyer/The New York Times)

People from the town join together at Rice’s Mills Community Association monthly potluck — an event that has been going on for 60 years in Thetford, Vt., Nov. 16, 2025. (Nick Meyer/The New York Times)