Gluten-Free Hurricane Relief Efforts Update

Here is a summary of my posts over the past week. Information was getting a little hard to manage, so hopefully this list helps you.

Gluten-Free Hurricane Relief: How to Help
Original post of where to donate, how to help, where to volunteer, and where to find gluten-free food in the NYC area


Hurricane Help from Gluten-Free Companies
A list of companies that are helping to support the hurricane relief efforts


Gluten-Free Hurricane Relief: Where to donate and find gluten-free food
Long Island
Long Island Cares
Freeport, Long Island Drop-off Center
Island Harvest

New York City/Staten Island
City Harvest
Food Bank of NYC
21st District of Queens, NY
Shop Rite in New Dorp, SI

New Jersey
Community Food Bank of NJ

Westchester
Three Dogs Bakery


Hurricane Sandy: My Personal Reflections

Gluten-Free Hurricane Relief: How to Help

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have been spending all week trying to help out Hurricane Sandy victims as much as I can. I wish I could do more. I've donated money, food, clothing, and tonight I am donating my time collecting donations for residents of the devastated Breezy Point, Queens. Many people are asking me how they can help, so I am putting together this ongoing list. I will add to it as I learn more. Please add your comments below if you have additional information.


(Gluten-Free) Food Donations

My heart goes out to the millions of people who had their lives turned upside down due to this storm, but I cannot help but think about those who need gluten-free food. There are very few food banks in this country that make an effort to carry gluten-free food. I am pretty sure that most food banks in the tri-state area do not have the gluten-free essentials they need, if any gluten-free food at all. Food banks need food and money!

Are you a gluten-free food manufacturer? If so, here are organizations that take bulk food donations. I have contacted many of these organizations directly about specifically giving gluten-free donations, but have not yet heard back from any of them. I am sure they are inundated with calls right now so as soon as I hear back, I will update this page with that information. Please make sure to contact them directly if you have questions. Monetary donations are always accepted as well.

All of these links go directly to the food donation inquiry pages.

Update as of 11/8 at 9:45am EST: CONFIRMED.
They are accepting gluten-free donations! 
The following are now accepting gluten-free donations and will do their best to make sure the proper people receive this gluten-free food. Please click on the name for more information specific to that food bank.

Long Island Cares
City Harvest
Food Bank of NYC
Long Island drop-off in Freeport, NY
Island Harvest
Community Food Bank of New Jersey* revised
District 21st Queens, NY
Three Dogs Bakery (Westchester County)
Shop Rite in New Dorp (Staten Island)


Food banks (pending response)

New York City
Red Cross
AidMatrix, sponsored by FEMA
Feeding America
Masbia (Kosher food donations only!)

Long Island
The INN

New Jersey
The Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties
Food Bank of South Jersey
Philabundance

Other ways to help

• Donate blood. The Red Cross is urging immediate blood and platelet donations to support the blood needs of those affected by Hurricane Sandy. You can make a donation appointment online. Click here to donate.
• Donate cash. You can donate cash on a national level or the local level. Here are some places to donate:
• Red Cross
• Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
• New York City Salvation Army
• New Jersey Salvation Army
• Habitat for Humanity
• Donate time. If you have the time and you are in the tri-state area, there are many volunteer opportunities. Here are some volunteer organizations looking for help:
• New York Cares
• One Brick
• Recovers.org (pop-up branches in Red Hook, Lower East Side, Astoria, and Staten Island)
• Donate food. You can order food on Amazon.com and have it sent directly to a food bank. Please contact the food bank directly before placing the order and shipping to them. 
• Donate gluten-free care packages. Members of the local community are hand-delivering gluten-free food to the hardest hit areas. Read more about their heroic efforts here. 

Finding Gluten-Free Food in NYC

I've asked the NYC Celiac Meetup group to keep us posted on where to buy gluten-free food in the tri-state area. If you know any place that sell gluten-free food and have reopened especially in lower Manhattan, please add your comments here: http://www.meetup.com/Celiac/messages/boards/thread/28319592


Click here to learn about gluten-free companies that are helping with the hurricane relief effort.

GF Hurricane Relief: Three Dogs Bakery (Westchester County)

This is my first confirmed Westchester donation location! Thank you to Karen Miller of Three Dogs Bakery for turning her gluten-free bakery into a donation site. Drop off your donations and buy some yummy gluten-free baked goods

Hello All! 

I hope this email finds you well. The bakery has power and is open.
Hurricane Sandy has shaken all of us, for sure. For me, it has certainly put things in perspective. Losing power for a week or more is nothing when others lost their homes. That is why I would like to do what I can to help.  

It has been brought to my attention by Erin Smith of the NYC Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Meet-up Group that the shelters in Long Island and NJ are in need of gluten-free food. I always have a box here for donations of gluten-free food but we need more than that. The shelters said they want to be sure they have enough to be able to advertise it. Otherwise people will come and it'll be all gone.  

Please come to the bakery and drop off some non-perishable, unopened, gluten-free food. Whether it's something in your house or something you pick up the next time you are at the store. We will be taking donations all this week. I will load it all up and take it down to the food banks that need it.  

Thanks!
Karen

Three Dogs Bakery 

510 North State Road 

Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510.

GF Hurricane Relief: District 21st Queens

I wrote to Councilman Dromm in Queens asking him where to donate gluten-free food. In 2011, Mr. Dromm introduced two pieces of legislation concerning gluten: Int. No. 502 and Res. No. 689. The passage of these bills in New York City would hopefully increase understanding nationwide about celiac disease and the importance of proper labeling. Council Member Dromm has a very personal connection to Celiac Disease, his mother has it and so does one of his former interns.

A few hours after I wrote to Mr. Dromm, I received an email from a friend that also works for a city council member. She said she was excited to see an email about gluten-free donations pass through her inbox and happy to see it was from me! I believe things happen for a reason and because of this email, I am now happy to report this:

Dear Neighbor:

In these challenging times as we recover from Hurricane Sandy, we must join together to provide relief to the victims of this devastating storm. New Yorkers have been incredibly generous with their donations and time, but the needs are ongoing.

My district office will serve as a collection site for donations going to survivors of Hurricane Sandy. Please bring your donations by 5pm this Friday November 9th.

Please bring donations to:
32-33A Junction Blvd
East Elmhurst, NY 11369

We are accepting donations from 9am-5pm

Your generosity is greatly appreciated, but please focus your donations on the items that people most need. Please look at the list below and give as you are able. 

Most sites are NOT accepting clothes right now. PLEASE DO NOT BRING CLOTHES. 

MOST ESSENTIAL ITEMS - Work gloves, batteries, flashlights, face masks, thick black contractor bags, warm blankets, toiletries, feminine hygiene products.

MOST ESSENTIAL MEDICINE ITEMS - Baby cough medicine, BAND-AIDS, Neosporin, Ace bandages, Advil, Tylenol. Please bring unopened containers.

CLEANING SUPPLIES - Mops, brooms, shovels, bleach, Clorox, buckets.

MOST ESSENTIAL FOOD ITEMS - bottled water, orange Juice, apple juice, granola bars, powdered milk, jelly, bread, and pet food. There is also a vital need for GLUTEN FREE FOOD. 

MOST ESSENTIAL BABY ITEMS - jars of baby food, formula, bottles, diapers and especially WIPES. Many parents do not have baby wipes for their children.

GENERAL DONATION TIPS - Please do not use this as a time to get rid of your unwanted items from your apartments and homes. Please organize your donations and clearly mark them so that they can distributed easily and quickly. Plastic grocery bags and carts for people to carry away their supplies would also be useful.

 If you are interested in volunteering with relief efforts, please call my office at 718-651-1917.

Sincerely,
Julissa Ferreras
New York City Council Member
(718) 651-1917
julissa.ferreras@council.nyc.gov

GF Hurricane Relief: A Local Way to Help the Gluten-Free

I have learned about three local community members that are personally donating gluten-free food to the hardest hit areas of the tri-state area. I am inspired by their giving to our gluten-free community. I also feel that these grassroots donations are the best way to get gluten-free food directly into the hands of Celiacs and others who need it.

Here is how they are helping:

One friend (who is not Celiac or gluten-free) emailed me last night to ask if Udi's bread was ok to make sandwiches and which peanut butter would be safe for those on a gluten-free diet. I gave her the information she needed as well as the prep information to help avoid cross contamination.

Another gluten-free community member has decided to clean out her pantry to see what gluten-free food she can donate. She has no power, yet is going out of her way to help the gluten-free community on Long Island.

A third gluten-free community member is hand delivering meals down to the Rockaways in Queens. Here's what she wrote:

Hi Erin - as you may know the Red Cross makes kosher and diabetic meals but no GF meals for those in need.  I am packing up a dozen GF meals to today and taking to a food bank that is delivering in the Rockaways, etc. Wondering if you could ask people to do to the same.

 

Each package will be labeled GF and list the products used and include:

1. 2 rice cracker sandwich various

2. water or juice box

3. a treat - example: I made corn bread last night

4. a piece of fruit

5. etc?

 

Not sure if it is possible to get the word out and a distribution site?  Just my thought.

 

Thanks. Linda 

GF Hurricane Relief: The Community Food Bank of NJ

After some confusion and miscommunication from the organization, it looks like The Community Food Bank of New Jersey IS collecting gluten-free food. Thank you to Sloane, aka Allergic Girl, for updating me with this information!

Here is the update from the Allergic Girl website:

I called The Community Food Bank of NJ as did FAAN and Theresa Forsman, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations of The Community Food Bank of NJ said they absolutely will accept shelf-stable, allergy-friendly goods and donations and you can send them to: 

The Community Food Bank of NJ
31 Evans Terminal,
Hillside, NJ 07205
Tel: (609) 383-8843
http://www.njfoodbank.org/

GF Hurricane Relief: Freeport and Long Beach, LI

This was on Facebook tonight. The drop-off on Long Island is specifically asking for gluten-free food. If you are on Long Island and have gas, please go to this drop-off center TOMORROW with your gluten-free donations. If you are a company, please ship your gluten-free food donations to the address below!



MONDAY HOURS! IMPORTANT **NEW 11/4 8:00 PM** INFORMATION FOR THOSE LOOKING TO DROP OFF OR MAIL SUPPLIES FOR LONG BEACH - please click the 'see more' link to read this entire announcement. 

DROP OFF ONLY 11-2 ON MONDAY!

157 E Sunrise Hwy, Freeport, NY 11520. 
Floor Mart Building across from Home Depot: yellow awning.
Packages can be shipped Attn: Chris Musto

MAJOR NEEDS: 
Baby Supplies Baby Form

ula and Food, Dog and Cat Food, Blankets and Towels, Air Freshener, Brooms, First-Aid Kits, Cotton Balls, Mouthwash, Candles, Floss, Body Spray, AAA Batteries, Gluten-Free Products and Plastic Bins for storage.

Please keep in mind - we are not an official non-profit and therefore these donations are not tax-deductible. We are the people who developed and have been running the Long Beach, NY Hurricane Information facebook page. If you have concerns please direct your $$ donations through the Jaime Whelan Foundation, Long Beach, NYwww.jaimewhelanfoundation.com

Additional NEEDS: Industrial strength black garbage bags, heavy duty rubber gloves, NON-PERISHABLE FOOD, flashlights and batteries, GENERATORS, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, toiletries, paper goods, BABY ITEMS, gas and gas cans, PLASTIC BINS, dog food, manual can openers, BLANKETS, disposable cameras, markers and poster board, sanitary wipes, CLEANING SUPPLIES, water, soap, cereal, granola bars, packaged drinks, baby food and formula, towels, tarps, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, bleach & clorox wipes, laundry detergent, toothbrush, toothpaste, paper towels 

Volunteers!! PLEASE SHOW UP!!! ESPECIALLY VOLUNTEERS WITH GAS!! Please show up during our OPEN - MONDAY 11-2 - hours or use the GoogleDoc resource. 

We invite all NON residents to drop off donations so that resident volunteers can run them in (much easier to get through security as a resident). 

Residents with donations can use this location or the Back of the Ice Arena at Fulton and the Bay. 

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! SHARE THIS POST!

Hurricane Help from Gluten-Free Companies

Gluten-free companies are stepping up big time to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. This will be a running list of those companies that have pledged food, money, time, or all three to the relief effort.


1-2-3 Gluten-Free: 1-2-3 Gluten Free has teamed up with Feeding America to help those in need from this destruction. If you purchase any 1-2-3 Gluten Free baking mixes from their online store from now through November 8th, they will donate $1 per item to those in need. There is no special promo code and no limit -- the more product you purchase, the more they are able to donate. This is a great time for you to stock up for the holidays while helping others.

Pamela's Products: Monetary donation to the Red Cross. Pamela's is also matching all donations made personally by employees

Tricia Thompson, MS, RD of The Gluten-Free Dietitian: Tricia made a donation directly to the Food Bank of NYC using Amazon Prime which will arrive in 2 days. Her gluten-free food donation included breakfast cereal, snack bars, and macaroni and cheese.

HauteMealz.com: According to their Facebook page, hautemealz.com will be donating the first-month payments on all new menu subscriptions between now and Christmas (end of December), as well as a portion of all subscription payments made by current members, to the American Red Cross International Response Fund toward Hurricane Sandy relief.

Udi's Gluten-Free Food: According to their Facebook page, Udi's will donate  bread, granola, and cookies to the following New York Food Pantries: City Harvest Food, Long Island Cares, and the Food Bank of NYC.

KIND Healthy Snacks: According to their Facebook page "In the wake of the hurricane, which has greatly impacted the KIND community - the KIND team will continue to share tens of thousands of bars along with 'thank you' cards to emergency personnel across the region throughout the next week – and we'd like to have your words printed on the cards."

I also received this email from a KIND employee: "we've been very busy getting bars into the hands of the people that need them most this past week... A volunteer that worked at one of the shelters we visited in Manhattan last week was almost in tears when we delivered 1,500 bars. He is a celiac and was unable to eat any of the food the shelter had onsite."

Dauphin Bakery: A local Brooklyn gluten-free bakery brought gluten-free, vegan cookies to the volunteers cleaning up DUMBO (Brooklyn).

Glutino: According to their Facebook page "We are pleased to be able to announce Glutino just sent out donations of our gluten free Breakfast Bars and Pretzels to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. These will be delivered to the following locations: City Harvest Food, Long Island Cares, and the Food Bank of NYC."

NuGo Gluten-Free: According to their Facebook page: "At NuGo, our hearts go out to all of those on the East Coast affected by Hurricane Sandy. We sent a pallet of gluten-free NuGo protein bars (Dark, Free, and Slim) to NY and NJ to be distributed to those in need. You are in our thoughts as we hope for a speedy recovery."

Namaste Foods: Namaste Foods is going to donate 25 cases (approx. 175 lbs) of their mixes to include Pancake/Waffle, Muffins, Spice Cake and Pizza Crust to City Harvest.

Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery: Rudi's has shipped gluten-free tortillas to City Harvest, Long Island Cares, Island Harvest, and to the drop-off donation site in Freeport, Long Island.

Kinnikinnick Foods: Donating about 1200 cases (4800 packages) of gluten-free bread and buns to Long Island Cares and City Harvest, 600 cases per location!

Bakery on Main: Bakery on Main has made a $1000 donation to the United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund. They chose for their money to stay in CT and help their home state. They have also sent out 400-500 granola bars to the Community Foodbank of NJ.

Jules Gluten-Free: Jules has donated a case of certified gluten-free oats to a food bank in New Jersey.

Dr. Schar: According to the Schar Facebook page: "With the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey-based Dr. Schar, USA is thankful for the efforts of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the food pantries it supports statewide. On behalf of the Schar employees, we have made a $5,000 donation to support the distribution of food to those in need. If any of our fans would like to also contribute , please visit www.njfoodbank.org for more information."

Three Dogs Gluten-Free Bakery: Karen, the owner of Three Dogs GF Bakery, collected gluten-free food and donated directly to the Long Island Cares Food Bank at 84 Pine ST., Freeport, NY 11520.

Pediatric Celiac Study in New York

Winthrop University Hospital, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition is conducting a research study to evaluate the effect of gluten on children's behavior and thinking. It is not necessary for your child to have Celiac Disease to participate in this study.

They are seeking parents to enroll their children in the study.

To be eligible for the study, your child must:

• Be on a gluten containing diet.
• Be between 6 and 18 years of age.
• Have no learning disabilities.

To find out if your child is eligible for for further information, please contact Winthrop University Hospital Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at 516-663-4939