FARE

Meet Sakura, Zidaan, and Kana, three inspiring members of FARE’s Teen Advisory Group, leading The Bay Area FARE Hometown Heroes Walk on December 21. Driven by their own experiences, these young advocates are united in their mission to raise awareness and provide support for the food allergy community. Sakura has lived with life-threatening food allergies since birth, fueling her dedication to advocacy. As a TAG member for three years, she co-founded EatWithoutWorry, a review site for allergy-friendly restaurants, and has lobbied for food allergy legislation in Congress. Sakura is involved with the Teen Talk committee and writes for both FARE’s Teen Corner blog and Just Allergy Things Magazine, all to make dining and social spaces safer for everyone. Zidaan’s severe reaction at age two was life-changing and sparked his dedication to food allergy awareness. Named FARE’s Young Innovator, he founded Fight Fears, an app helping young people manage food anxiety, and operates a photography business that donates proceeds to FARE. Meeting Sakura at the FARE Summit inspired him to bring the community together through this annual walk. Kana knows the daily challenges of food allergies and began advocating to educate her peers and raise awareness. After lobbying Congress and connecting with others facing similar struggles, she became even more passionate about her role in TAG. She’s dedicated to helping others navigate schools and social settings, believing that collective effort is key to progress. "Living with food allergies is a daily challenge," they share. "We walk to raise funds for FARE, advancing allergen safety, awareness, and research. Every dollar supports FARE’s mission to improve lives worldwide." Inspired to make a difference? Host your own FARE fundraiser in your hometown to support research, advocacy, and programs for those with food allergies. Together, we can create safer communities across the globe. More info on the walk: https://lnkd.in/etRdJZME Start your own fundraiser: https://lnkd.in/efG9ryeW

We’re so grateful for the amazing community support we saw for the Teal Pumpkin Project! With over 13,000 homes pinned to the Teal Pumpkin Project map, families came together to make Halloween a safer and more inclusive holiday for all kids. Thank you for making a difference! 💙🎃 #TealPumpkinProject #Halloween

As kiddos get ready to haunt the neighborhood for treats, keep an eye out for teal pumpkins on porches! These vibrant pumpkins are more than just festive decor—they’re part of the Teal Pumpkin Project! A teal pumpkin signals that a house is offering non-food treats—like glow sticks, stickers, and mini toys—making Halloween fun and safe for children with food allergies or intolerances. With 1 in 13 kids affected, it's a simple way to create an inclusive, stress-free night for all! Want to join in? Place a teal pumpkin on your porch and add your home to the Teal Pumpkin Project map: https://lnkd.in/evB3vccu https://lnkd.in/eggV9NrD

Meet Amari Sims, an inspiring advocate and ASB President of Rancho Milpitas Middle School, who’s on a mission to make Halloween safer and more inclusive for kids with food allergies. Through the Teal Pumpkin Project, Amari took it upon himself to bring teal pumpkins filled with non-food treats to schools and doctors' offices across the Milpitas Unified School District. "I am the ASB President of Rancho Milpitas Middle School. There are 12 elementary and middle schools in Milpitas Unified School District. About 2 students in each U.S. classroom have a food allergy. I purchased teal pumpkins and hand-picked non-food treats to place inside of the pumpkins. These include stickers, temporary tattoos, yoyos, necklaces, slap bracelets, friendship bracelets, funny glasses (plastic and paper), pencils, rulers, spinners, glow sticks, bubble wands, erasers, wind-up toys, stamps, kaleidoscopes, plastic bugs, fidget poppers, noise makers, scratch art, spider rings, pinball discs, fake fingers, hairpins, whistles, springs, disc shooters, and fake mustaches. I hope that the non-food treats help students with food allergies feel included during the Halloween celebrations (which typically focus on food treats) and that they consider offering a teal pumpkin at their home and spread the word!" -Amari https://lnkd.in/evB3vccu

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!⁠ The Teal Pumpkin Project is a simple way to make trick-or-treating more safe and inclusive for the one in thirteen children living with food allergies, and many others impacted by intolerances and other conditions. Placing a teal pumpkin on your doorstep signals that you offer non-food trinkets and treats that are safe for all trick-or-treaters!⁠ This year you can find participating CVS Pharmacy locations offering non-food treats and trinkets on the #TealPumpkinProject Map. Learn more and add your home to the map to let trick-or-treaters know you have safe treats: https://lnkd.in/evB3vccu

At the 15 and Mahomies Foundation Gala, FARE presented Brittany Mahomes with the FARE Champion Award, honoring her advocacy for families managing food allergies. The evening also introduced the ‘15 and FARE’ partnership which will bring vital food allergy resources to Kansas City through the FARE Neighborhoods Initiative and Food Allergy Academy training. This partnership aims to make Kansas City a safer, more inclusive community for those with food allergies. #foodallergyawareness #kansascity

We’re thrilled to announce 15 and FARE, a partnership between 15 and Mahomies and FARE! This initiative will bring FARE’s public health initiative, FARE Neighborhoods, as well as FARE’s Food Allergy Academy training for restaurants, community food banks, and pantries, to the Kansas City area to support those impacted by food allergies. Together, we’re working to make KC a safer, more inclusive place for the 520,000+ Missourians living with food allergies. 💙 #15andFARE #FoodAllergyAwareness #KansasCity

"My name is Kiley & I am 22 years old. Ever since I was a newborn I had trouble digesting & keeping food down. For years I would get sick every night, have rashes, headaches, & horrible stomach aches. It wasn’t until I was 12 years old that I finally got diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE) & anaphylactic food allergies to any products containing/derived from dairy, lactose, whey, eggs, coconut, cashews, macadamia nut, & soybeans & a less severe allergy to gluten & fish. My whole life I have had anxiety around food, my mind & body associate it with pain. I hated the attention I would get when I wouldn’t be able to eat what my friends were eating & I always felt last out. Due to my anxiety around food & random flare-ups, it has caused me to develop an eating disorder called Avoidant/restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). ARFID is a restriction, aversion, and/or avoidance of certain foods due to the anxiety/fear of the aversion that may occur such as an allergic reaction, choking, vomiting, etc. Although ARFID may look like anorexia, it is NOT due to body image disturbance, it is a fear/phobia of food/eating due to a sensitivity. This diagnosis has made understanding my brain, body, & relationship with food so much more clear. After 10 years of struggling with my food allergies & just eating in general, I finally feel like I know almost exactly what I can eat & how to manage my food allergies. I still get rashes, flare ups, & days where I struggle to meet my calorie intake but I know the consequences of not eating. My family, especially my mother has been my biggest supporter. She has always helped me cook all of my food, find allergy friends restaurants, & make sure that I always have “safe foods” stocked up in my pantry at college, back at home, & when we go on vacations. It has been so inspiring hearing everyone’s unique stories & to know that I am not alone of this life long journey of food allergies! It does get better & staying positive & being optimistic is always to best way." - Kiley Robinson Submit your story for a chance to be featured on an upcoming #FARESundayStory: https://bit.ly/3WNio3g

Food allergies is a disease, not a diet, and that is especially true during the Halloween season. Help create a safer holiday for all by participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project! Place a teal pumpkin outside your home to show you offer non-food treats, creating a safer and more inclusive Halloween for children with food allergies! Don’t forget to add your house to the Teal Pumpkin Project map before Halloween so your home is easy to find for those on the hunt for safe treats! 🎃 Thank you KPTV Fox 12 Oregon https://bit.ly/3YDq0Gd

"It wasn’t until after Hugo was diagnosed with a peanut allergy that I learned about FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project. The goal of the project is to raise awareness about food allergies and ask people who hand out candy on Halloween to also offer non-food alternatives to trick-or-treaters who cannot eat the candy because of food allergies. These non-food alternatives don’t need to be big or extravagant—the key is just to keep them in a separate bowl from the candy. Some of the items we’ll have in our Teal Pumpkin Project bowl include: pencils, erasers, bouncy balls, and keychains. We were able to buy all of these items for less than what we normally spend on candy. Anaphylaxis is a big concern for us. But, we’re also concerned about Hugo missing out on childhood experiences, like trick-or-treating, as he grows up. Will his friends not invite him to join their trick-or-treating group on Halloween because he can’t eat the candy? Will he not get invitations to his classmates’ birthday parties because his food allergies can be intimidating or overwhelming? Andrew and I ask ourselves these questions now and our hearts break for Hugo knowing that he may be left out sometimes because of his food allergies. This is why I want to make you aware of the Teal Pumpkin Project and encourage you to participate! 😀 If you would like to join in here’s what you can do: 1. Find a separate container 2. Fill it with small, inexpensive toys 3. Place a teal pumpkin outside your residence to let trick-or-treaters with food allergies know that you have treats just for them! 🩵 4. If you want to go one step further, add your residence to the Teal Pumpkin Project Map so trick-or-treaters with food allergies can find you! Let’s turn our neighborhoods teal so these kids don’t have to sit on the sidelines! Offering non-food alternatives will mean so much to kids with food allergies, and their families." - sweetsolsticephotography on Instagram Add your home to the Teal Pumpkin Project Map to make your home easy to find for those on the hunt for non-food treats: https://bit.ly/3kABkP3