How to Help Families with Food Allergies Affected by the Oklahoma Tornado

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Kids With Food Allergies5/23/1311:53 AM

How to Help Food Allergy Families in Oklahoma
Monday, May 20, Moore, Oklahoma experienced a tornado. The tornado caused vast devastation, including many fatalities and injuries. As Food Allergy parents, some of us survivors of the recent Hurricane Sandy that hit the East Coast in 2012, we are mindful of what this will mean in the weeks ahead as survivors are moved to shelters. In the shelters, survivors of the tornado will rely on food from food banks, churches, the Red Cross and FEMA.

Early Tuesday morning, The Kids With Food Allergies Disaster Committee reached out to a support group in Oklahoma who will be accepting food-allergy friendly donations, including gluten-free foods and elemental formulas in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Food Allergy Support Group has secured the following locations who will be able to accept donations:

(food donations)
Attn: Becky Matlack and Oklahoma Food Allergy Support Group
The Cherokee Hills Church of Christ
6724 NW 63
Oklahoma City, OK 73132

(food or cash donations)
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
3355 S Purdue Ave
Oklahoma City, OK 73137

If you would like to send a food donation, please label your box "Moore, OK: Food Allergy Friendly Food" on the outside.

If you would like to donate injectible epinephrine, or know someone who needs it in the Moore, OK area, here is some information:

First, non-profit organizations can go to the Mylan site and order free EpiPens. Here is the link:

http://www.mylanspecialty.com/...cme-application.aspx and if you decide to place an order, please comment below so we can let Mylan know and they can alert the staff to expedite the order.

Second, individuals may use the EpiPen $0-CoPay Card available on www.EpiPen.com

If you are affected by the disaster and are looking for a shelter, here is the link to the Red Cross site for the Central OK region: http://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php

Please follow KFA's Leadership blog for updates and more information on this disaster relief effort.

These tornadoes are reminders to parents of children with food allergies and/or asthma to set up an emergency plan tailored to your family's needs: Food Allergy Disaster Emergency Plan Preparedness.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the town of Moore, OK. If you are a support group leader or active in your local food allergy or asthma community, please let me know if you'd like to help serve on the Kids With Food Allergies Disaster Committee. Our mission is to have a base in every major city in the United States.

With thanks,

Heidi Bayer
Board of Directors Chair
Kids With Food Allergies
hbayer (at) kidswithfoodallergies (dot) org
Blog: bklynallergymom

Tags: disaster relief, food bank, Moore, OK, tornado

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Melanie CarverChief Mission Officer

Here are more images from Carrie Black showing the food being donated to families with food allergies. Families in the area are starting to receive these foods. Thank you!

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5/26/137:31 PM

Kids With Food AllergiesAdministrator

Peanut Free Planet is still accepting donations for the Oklahoma tornado disaster. Their first shipment has already been processed, but they will be sending another next week. Many allergy-friendly companies have also contributed.

From Peanut Free Planet:

"If you would like to send a food donation to the food allergy families that have been victims of the Oklahoma Tornado you can order on our site. PFP will cover the shipping of the gift DIRECTLY to the Oklahoma Food bank SPECIFICALLY SET UP TO SERVE THOSE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES. If you would like to donate $ to purchase products to fill in the gaps of other donations please purchase a gift certificate. When you order enter our address as the shipping address. 15252 Stony Creek Way Noblesville IN and choose in-store pick up and put "Oklahoma" in the comments section. http://www.peanutfreeplanet.com/

Freelings THANK YOU! These are the donations that are now on their way to Oklahoma! Our box supplier even donated clean unused boxes so the families that are receiving the boxes of allergy friendly food will be confident that their box was not used to store other food!!!! We will be sending a follow up shipment next week. Any one that still wants to donate your gift will still be shipped to those in need.