Longest Table event fosters community engagement

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Scores of Brick residents gathered at the Havens Homestead Museum property on Saturday afternoon for the township’s second annual Longest Table event.

Unlike last year, when heavy rain forced the inaugural Brick Longest Table indoors, the weather was picture-perfect on Saturday, Sept. 21. Members of the town’s Student Advisory Committee, consisting of students from both Brick Township and Brick Memorial high schools, dished up Italian fare catered by Jersey Kitchen of Brick Township.

Brandi White, coordinator of the Student Advisory Committee, said that the Longest Table provides unique chances for all members of the Brick community to open dialogue with one another.

“They’re volunteering today to help with the event,” she said. “It gives them an opportunity to get some community service hours. It’s also an opportunity for people of all different walks of life — different backgrounds — to come together and be able to share a meal and have a conversation.”

Mayor Lisa Crate, who has been a proponent of holding a Longest Table meal since her time as councilwoman, explained that this year’s agreeable weather made for an even more lively event.

“It rained sideways last year. We watched the weather all week and we were so happy to see that it was actually going to be a beautiful day,” said the mayor. “Everyone here is so happy to be here; I see people all over making connections and meeting new people, learning about new people.”

“I just spoke to someone on line (for food) who said, ‘You’re going to laugh at this: the lady who is sitting next to me — we live one street away from each other and didn’t even know it.’ Then, when we asked where they grew up, (they said) they both grew up in Passaic,” Mayor Crate said.

The two women in question were residents Michele Testa and Connie Quesea, who confirmed the connection.

“We found out that I was born and raised in the same town that she came from,” said Testa. “We moved down here and now we live in the same neighborhood; we never knew that before. I just met her. The funny thing is, it was just so coincidental. We were talking about the town we came from, Passaic, and the differences there now from (Brick). We didn’t even need the ice breaker card.”

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