Come Be My Friend: A Community Table

Hi.

My name is Sharifa.

I know that's an unusual way to start an event description, but I'm asking sincerely.

A few months ago, I thought my life was finally coming together.

Then everything changed.

I lost my job.

Which meant I lost the apartment I'd worked so hard for.

Just a week after turning 25, I found myself grieving the end of some of my longest friendships.

For the first time in a long time, I looked around and realized something I hadn't wanted to admit:

I was lonely.

Not the kind of lonely that comes from being by yourself for a weekend.

The kind that comes from realizing your community isn't where you thought it would be.

I kept wishing someone would create the kind of space where making friends as an adult didn't feel so impossible.

Then I realized...

Maybe I could.

So this is me trying.

This isn't a networking event.

It isn't a dating event.

It's just a picnic.

A place where strangers can sit on blankets, eat together, laugh, and maybe leave knowing a few more people than they did when they arrived.

I don't know who's going to come.

Maybe ten people.

Maybe fifty.

Maybe I'll meet someone who becomes one of my closest friends.

Maybe you will.

I just know that life has been asking a lot of us lately.

I think we deserve a place to slow down, share a meal, and remember that community doesn't usually appear overnight.

Sometimes it starts with one person asking a simple question.

Will you be my friend?

I hope the answer is yes.

The heart of this picnic is something I'm calling the Community Table.

Here's how it works:

🌈 Pick a color.

👕 Wear that color.

🍓 If you'd like, bring a snack, drink, fruit, or dessert that matches your color to share.

That's it.

Homemade.

Store-bought.

From your favorite bakery.

From Aldi.

Whatever feels right.

And if you can't bring anything...

Please come anyway.

No explanations.

No guilt.

No pressure.

I'll be providing Dimo's Pizza (including vegan options) because I want everyone to have something to eat.

Take-home containers will be available because food should feed people—not end up in the trash.

I'm intentionally creating a space that centers neurodivergent adults, trans and gender-diverse people, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, newcomers to Chicago, and anyone who's rebuilding, starting over, or simply looking for community.

I also want this to feel welcoming to people living with mental illness, disabilities, housing insecurity, food insecurity, or anyone who's ever felt like they didn't quite fit into traditional social spaces.

This will be a sober-friendly gathering.

I'll have sensory toys available, quiet places to step away if you need a break, and plenty of room to simply exist without feeling like you have to perform.

You don't have to be outgoing.

You don't have to be "good at networking."

You don't have to pretend everything is okay.

You just have to show up.

• 🍕 Dimo's Pizza, including vegan options
• 🌈 A colorful Community Table
• 🌳 Giant lawn games
• 🎶 Music
• 🧸 Sensory toys and space to decompress
• 📸 Event photography
• 💬 Time to meet people naturally, without a packed schedule

Because honestly...

The people are the event.

This event is free because I don't believe community should come with a price tag.

I'm personally covering many of the upfront costs because I really believe this picnic should exist. If you'd like to help make it possible, I'd be incredibly grateful.

Your support helps cover:

🍕 Dimo's Pizza (including vegan options)
🌳 Park permit
🛡️ Event insurance
🥤 Water & ice
♻️ Compostable supplies
🧸 Sensory toys & accessibility items
📸 Event photography
🌼 Future community gatherings

Venmo: @iametoe
Cash App: $iametoe

There is absolutely no expectation to donate.

If money is tight, I'd much rather have you at the picnic than your dollars.

If you'd like to support in another way, you can:

• Bring a colorful snack for the Community Table
• Lend a blanket, cooler, or lawn game
• Invite a friend
• Introduce yourself to someone who's standing alone
• Help clean up before you head home

Community is built in a hundred little ways—not just financially.

I'm so grateful you're here.