Student Food Donations
If you are an IHHS student and have allergy-friendly food that you want to donate at your home but don’t know how or have the time to get rid of it - fill out this form and someone will come pick the food up from your house and take it to one of the pantries in need of it. Once there, it will be put in the SAFE implemented at each; ensuring the people it’s meant for, those with food allergies who are food insecure, will benefit from your donation.
Types of Allergy Food to Donate
I know it can sometimes be confusing on exactly what qualifies as allergy-friendly food, and what would be considered just regular food. There’s really not a definitive answer to the question of what makes food qualify as allergy-friendly food, but I define it as being at least free-from one of the top major 9 allergens. The Top 9 Major Food Allergens as defined by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) are “milk, wheat, sesame, tree nuts, soy, fish, shellfish and peanuts.” If you have a product that is clearly labeled as free-from one of those things, or even better multiple, I would consider it allergy-food and encourage you to donate it if you are able to.
If you are interested in foods you can purchase from the grocery store that are allergen-friendly to donate, I’ve put a list together below of foods that are not only great allergen-free foods but also nutritious ones as well, an important factor to keep in mind when donating food to food pantries.
Join Allergy Club
Anyone is welcome to join the Allergy Club. Whether you yourself have food allergies, a family member of friend of yours does, or you just want to help those that do, by joining Allergy Club you can help in a multitude of ways to bring SAFE’s goal to fruition, making allergy-friendly food and education accessible to all. Whether that is (1) volunteering to pick up/drive food to food pantries, (2) helping facilitate A.C.T. (Allergy Care Talks) or (3) helping write and edit for SAFE’s E.D.I.T. (Education, Discoveries, Information, and Tips) magazine, Allergy Club is a perfect opportunity for you to make a difference in your community, get service hours, and ultimately help benefit people with food allergies live’s in a variety of ways.
