The Shared Table Project
Details
Northern Alberta
The Idea
The Shared Table Project (TSTP) is an expansion of HIV Edmonton’s annual Festive Feast, a celebration that honours people living with HIV and the peers who form the heart of our community. For years, this event has offered warmth, dignity, and connection to those who often face isolation, stigma, and barriers to belonging. This year, we want to extend that same sense of inclusion further by inviting friends, family members, and chosen supports to join the table, transforming an internal celebration into a community gathering rooted in love, solidarity, and shared humanity.
This shift represents a monumental change for our organization and for the community we serve. It challenges not only the external community but also our own HIV community to confront and reflect on our dispositions and attitudes toward stigma. For many people living with HIV, there is deep internalized stigma shaped by how we believe the outside world views us. By expanding the invitation to include friends and families, we are choosing to be vulnerable in a way that acknowledges a larger part of the community may now identify us as people living with HIV. In doing so, we are actively dismantling the silence and shame that stigma creates.
At the same time, we must humble ourselves and recognize that our networks of care are larger than our peer groups. True community support extends beyond shared experience. It includes the allies, families, and friends who stand beside us. For the external community, this invitation also asks for openness. We are welcoming them into a space that has never been created for them, asking them to listen, share, and connect in a way that builds understanding and mutual respect.
The Shared Table Project will bring together more than 150 participants for a shared holiday meal where everyone can experience a sense of belonging. The requested $5,000 from the Field Law Community Fund will help us expand capacity, provide additional meals and seating, and ensure accessibility through transportation and other supports.
At its heart, The Shared Table Project is about courage, inclusion, and growth. When we open our table to others, we not only feed the body but also nourish the trust and connection that allow communities to heal together.
Who Will Benefit?
The Shared Table Project (TSTP) will directly benefit people living with HIV, their families, friends, and allies, as well as the broader community of support that surrounds them. For many individuals living with HIV, community events like the Festive Feast are one of the few spaces where they can participate without fear of judgment or disclosure. By expanding this event to include loved ones, we create an environment where healing, understanding, and inclusion extend beyond the boundaries of peer-based spaces.
For people living with HIV, this project provides a meaningful opportunity to share their lives openly with those who care for them, reinforcing that they are not defined by their diagnosis. The act of inviting friends and family into a space historically reserved for peers challenges internalized stigma and nurtures pride, visibility, and self-acceptance. It allows participants to see their experiences reflected not only among peers but also within their personal networks, building confidence and community cohesion.
Families, partners, and friends will also benefit deeply. Many have never been invited into a space centered on HIV before. For them, TSTP offers a chance to learn, connect, and stand in solidarity. It fosters empathy and strengthens their ability to provide informed, compassionate support. Witnessing the strength and resilience of those living with HIV helps dismantle misconceptions and creates new pathways for dialogue and understanding.
The project will also have a ripple effect beyond those directly attending. Staff, volunteers, and community partners who assist with planning and delivery will gain insight into inclusive community practice, stigma reduction, and cultural humility. These learnings will carry forward into future programming and everyday interactions, reinforcing a culture of acceptance throughout the organization and community.