​Ages

Middle School Students, High School Students, College Students, Adults​

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Maximum Group Size

25 people, including adults

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Available Dates 

• July 4 to 9, 2027 - 10 spots left

• July 11 to 16, 2027 - 15 spots left

• July 18 to 23, 2027 - FILLED

• July 25 to 30, 2027 - FILLED

• This trip is also available for flexible length and timing trips from September to April. This could be a day trip, weekend trip, or week-long trip. Prices are adjusted based on the number of days.

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Bentonville, located in Northwest Arkansas, is at the center of one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, with an average of 33 new residents moving to the area each day in 2023. This rapid expansion is fueled by major corporations headquartered here, including Walmart, Tyson, and J.B. Hunt. Yet despite the region's economic boom, Bentonville is marked by stark contrasts between wealth and poverty, revealing how prosperity for some can leave others further behind and creating a landscape where thousands of nonprofits work to bridge these gaps.

 

By joining Be The Neighbor in Bentonville, participants will discover this city through the neighbors, advocates, and organizations working toward a more equitable future amid rapid growth and corporate wealth. Through hands-on service, groups will engage directly with unhoused neighbors to learn about housing justice while providing support during the hottest months of the year. You will partner with local food banks and farms to explore food justice and its impact on low-income communities. You'll collaborate with organizations dedicated to serving those living in poverty, gaining insight into the challenges they face and the resources available to help them thrive, and consider how economic systems, corporate power, and access to opportunity shape who benefits from growth and who is left out.

 

Through hands-on service, storytelling, conversation, advocacy, and reflection, you'll be invited to listen, learn, and participate alongside the neighbors and organizations leading this work. Your group will explore how the disparities you're learning about show up in your own community and will develop a concrete plan for continuing this work when you get home. Be The Neighbor weeks are learning and launching trips. You'll leave equipped to live lives of love, service, and justice in ways that are relational, sustainable, and dignity-affirming.

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Be The Neighbor’s summer programming begins on Sunday evening and concludes on Friday morning. You may stay an additional night to explore see the city in this location for an additional $10 per person. Check out is 10 am Saturday morning.

Trip costs follow our equitable pricing model. You can read more about it here. We want everyone to be able to participate no matter their financial realities. Regardless of which level you select, your trip includes: 

 

• A simple breakfast, lunch and snack Monday morning through Friday morning

• A dedicated Site Director and Intern(s) to facilitate your week

• Fully planned service and educational experiences

• Theological reflections created to engage participants in connecting what they are learning to their faith

• Discussion guides for priviate group reflection

• Group interactive education led by BTN staff 

• Lodging, including showers, dedicated sleeping rooms, gathering rooms, and kitchens use - most sites include air mattresses or cots for all of your participants

• Costs covered for honorariums for speakers, activities, supplies for projects with community partners, and any entrance fees for educational experiences

• A t-shirt for each participant

• Journals for each participant

• Online orientation for your adult leaders 

 

Please note that your group will be responsible for dinners and transportation during the week.