How breakfast with neighbors turned into a movement in Belmont Shore

It started out as a way of meeting his neighbors over coffee. Now, it's turned into a movement of sorts that is bringing people together in Belmont Shore in ways no one expected. John Canalis in the Press-Telegram reports:

Lifelong Long Beach resident Scott Jones had plenty of friends. But he didn't know many of his neighbors. So in March he asked those who live near him in Belmont Shore to breakfast. About 50 people came for coffee and pancakes cooked on camping gear in Livingston Park. "I ended up having all of these amazing conversations," he said. "I met more neighbors at one breakfast than I have my entire life. I thought, 'Maybe I am onto something.' It was the first time I actually hugged a neighbor." The breakfasts became monthly. Then came barbecues, restaurant dinner parties, fundraisers and a book club. Careful to use a plural pronoun to reflect a collectivist sensibility, Jones, 26, called the group of strangers-turned-friends "We Love Long Beach."

--Shelby Grad