Due to the generosity of our amazing donors, we were able to collect over 135 pounds of gluten free and allergy friendly food at the Giant Food in Clarksville on Saturday, October 29.  The food will be split between our partners, the Howard County Food Bank and Bridgeway Community Cupboard as we work with these two organizations to provide safe food in the community.

It’s not too late to donate gluten free and allergy friendly food!  One Dish Cuisine located in Ellicott City is a permanent food collection point during their business hours.  Look for the sealed, plastic tote in the front of the café. 

Another option for donating food is through our basket program where we do the shopping for you.  Help families in need who struggle with food allergies, celiac disease, and similar health issues eat safely by purchasing gluten free and allergy friendly food baskets:

$10 Gluten Free Pasta Meal
•  Nature’s Promise Gluten Free Pasta
•  Schar Gluten Free Rolls
•  Francesco Rinaldi’s Zesty Tomato Sauce

$10 Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Holiday Sides
•  3 Giant Canned Vegetables
•  Giant Applesauce
•  Schar Gluten Free Rolls

$20 Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Holiday Sides Deluxe
•  6 Giant Canned Vegetables
•  Giant Brown Rice
•  Giant Dried Beans
•  Giant Applesauce
•  Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread Mix
•  Giant Coconut Oil
•  Nature’s Promise Dairy Free Milk

Please indicate in the comments which basket(s) you would like to donate.  

Thank you for your continued support!  We look forward to announcing our Winter Food Drive date soon.

On Sunday, October 9, the S.A.F.E. Food Pantry was at the Baltimore Zoo for the Baltimore FARE Walk for Food Allergy.  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share information about our organization and our upcoming events!

We still have some other events coming up this month.  We hope you can join us! 

We started the SNAP Challenge with optimism that we could stretch our $44 ($22 for each of us) to supply us with five days worth of food.  Along the way, we learned that SNAP benefits do not go far to assist people with special dietary conditions as we tackled a diet free from gluten and the top allergens of wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.

Prior to the challenge we ventured to Trader Joe’s and Wegmans and bought the following items to total $33.96:
Trader Joe's
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 5.49
Organic Sweet Peas, Frozen - 1.99
Organic Strawberries, Frozen - 2.69
3 Bananas - 0.57
Wegmans
Organic Buckwheat Groats - 4.49
Organic Garbanzo Beans - 2.99
Organic French Green Lentils - 2.99
Organic Basmati Rice - 4.59
Organic Tomato Paste, Canned - 0.89
Jones Turkey Links Frozen - 2.59
Organic Carrots 5# - 3.99
Lemon - 0.69
SUBTOTAL -  33.96

We wanted to keep some money in the budget for buying meat later in the week, if necessary.  By Tuesday evening, we dipped into our remaining budget, spending $6.03 for some chicken pieces that were on sale, leaving us with $4.01 remaining.
 
Here is what we learned from our experiences, in no particular order:

1. The SNAP Challenge money does not go very far.  By pooling our money together, we were able to purchase items in larger quantities and increase our variety slightly.  It still did not go far enough as there are not as many fresh fruits and vegetables as we would have liked.
2. We have the luxury of having a vehicle to go to the grocery stores where we would purchase items.  Without choices, you have to buy what they have at that store no matter the price.  We knew before going shopping that some items would be less expensive at one store versus the other.
3. Although the meals were pretty well balanced with protein, carbohydrates, and fat, they were still incredibly low from a calorie perspective.  We used olive oil on just about everything to increase our calorie content per day to around 800-1000 per day per person.  Without the olive oil we would have lost 300-400 calories per day.  This is something we could do for 5 days, but impossible to sustain for any period of time. 
4. All drinks during the challenge consisted of water.  We did blend a small amount of bananas and strawberries together with water for a simple dessert shake.
5. Due to the low calorie content, it became necessary to spread out meals more just to sustain any kind of energy level.  Hunger was very common for us, and by Friday we both were starving.
6. Yes, buying organic and natural items can be a luxury.  We wanted to try to stay as close as possible to our current diet.  A lot of people with food allergies and sensitivities have problems with preservatives, additives, and pesticides, to name a few.   Also, buying from bulk bins is also not an option for us since we are extremely gluten sensitive.
   
7. Going on a gluten free and top 8 allergen free diet is a little extreme, as most people do not have to avoid all of these items.  It was hard to see other SNAP Challenge participants throughout Maryland eating their inexpensive peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, canned tuna, and eggs.  When you have special dietary conditions, it can be hard to afford safe food. 
8. Spending less on unprocessed foods means spending  more time in the kitchen.  We did not anticipate the increased food preparation time, although we were extremely grateful for a cabinet full of spices to help break up some of the monotony of our meals.
9. We did end up cheating by pulling a pound of ground beef out of the freezer on Thursday.  In all fairness, we had $4.01 remaining, but no extra energy to go to the store.

 
This SNAP Challenge was definitely an eye-opening experience for us.  We are extremely grateful to be able to afford the gluten free and allergy friendly food that we need and look forward to assisting those who cannot afford safe food through the S.A.F.E. Food Pantry.

Living on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, called the Food Supplement Program  (FSP) in Maryland, can be a struggle for many families.  Starting on Monday, September 12 through Friday, September 16, the S.A.F.E. Food Pantry is working in cooperation with Maryland Hunger Solutions to participate in the SNAP Challenge.

Since the S.A.F.E. Food Pantry has a mission to provide gluten free and allergy friendly food to those in need, we will be doing the SNAP Challenge with special dietary conditions in mind.  We encourage you to join us as a participant in the SNAP Challenge if you have special dietary needs including food allergies, celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, to name a few.

For more information on this special gluten free and allergy friendly SNAP Challenge, please click here for more information and registration. On this page you will also find a food log to help you keep track of your food for the five-day challenge.

We would love to hear from you throughout the week, so please use hashtag #SNAPSAFE as you connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and email.

My journey into the world of food allergies began 9 years ago when I got a desperate phone call from my daughter, asking me to move in with her, my 6-year-old grandson, and her new husband, Bob. Within six months of their marriage, he had become increasingly ill with numerous ailments never fully diagnosed. She dearly needed another pair of hands with a driver's license.
 
As we researched Bob's bewildering symptoms to find ways to give him a better quality of life, we began with gradual changes. Good quality vitamins and probiotics were our first line of defense, and we then moved on to eliminate soy and gluten from our diet. We determined early on that any changes we made, would be for the whole family, as we were all in this together.
 
Bob's health improved a bit, and my daughter, Kris, noticed she began feeling better also. We continued to eliminate other common allergens, such as artificial sugars, ginger, peanuts, and tree nuts, and saw added success. However, it was too little too late, and shortly after that, Bob's health declined and he died.
 
Although Kris wasn't officially diagnosed until a couple years later, we knew she had Celiac Disease, IBS, and candida, a yeast overgrowth in her body. We continued on the diet and just when we thought we had Kris back on track and healing, her health took another turn. Through testing, we discovered we had to eliminate tomatoes, anything fermented, fruit, condiments, dairy, natural sugars, and yeast.
 
At this point, there were no packaged foods we could open for a quick meal, and we quickly learned the joys of cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients and herbs. With the elimination of each new allergen, all our favorite recipes had to be reworked with substitute ingredients. Especially in baked goods, when you have to replace more than a couple key ingredients, nothing turns out the way you expect it to. We fed the garbage disposal a lot, and joyfully celebrated the successes. We documented all the recipes that worked, and went on to design new dishes to give us a greater variety of foods.
 
Realizing there had to be a lot of other people who were struggling with multiple food allergies, we contacted a publisher. At the end of four years, we had published a 400-page cookbook called Celiac Creations For Multiple Food Allergies: How To Survive When Your Food Is Killing You.
 
As Kris' list of allergies increased, we noticed a correlating increase in the cost of our grocery bill. We considered ourselves blessed to be able to afford the great food, but wondered how people who are less fortunate, manage to feed themselves and their families. When I was asked to join the Board of Directors for S.A.F.E. Food Pantry, I saw an opportunity to make a real difference in a greatly underserved community, by helping to establish a food pantry that specifically addresses the dual problem of food allergies and food insecurity.
 
Food allergies are on the rise, and due to the increased cost of allergy-friendly foods, there will be more requests for safe foods from food pantries all over the U.S. We are establishing partnerships, raising awareness of this increased need on our local level, and invite interested people from all walks of life to join with us in whatever way they can to promote this important work.

June is a busy month at the S.A.F.E. Food Pantry.  We are looking forward to the following upcoming events and hope you will join us:

Sunday, June 12 from 11AM-4PM
2016 Washington DC Gluten-Free Expo
DoubleTree Hotel in Bethesda
8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
 
The DC Gluten Free Expo is a great opportunity to meet with over 70 gluten free vendors and attend 6 different educational sessions.  Thanks to the generosity of the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Health System, the S.A.F.E. Food Pantry will have a table where we will be sharing our mission to provide gluten free and allergy friendly food to those in need.  Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children and can be purchased in advance on the DC Gluten Free Expo website or at the door.