FARE WALK FOR FOOD ALLERGY DRAWS 500

Over 500 individuals from Fairfield County came to Sherwood Island State Park Saturday,September 27, for the annual FARE Walk for Food Allergy, presented by Mylan, supporting Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to food allergy. FARE’s efforts raised $100,000, to fund food allergy research, education, advocacy and awareness initiatives.

Tremendous thanks to our walkers, sponsors, volunteers and of course FARE! Our generous sponsors included lead sponsor, Stamford Health Center as well as Bow Tie Cinemas, Walter Stewart Market of New Canaan, Camp Wingate-Kirkland on Cape Cod, Camp Playland, Chase Bank, Fairfield County Allergy Asthma and Immunology and Thermo Scientific.

Over the past year, funds raised from the FARE Walk for Food Allergy have helped advance many critical initiatives, including:

Passage of the federal School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, which encourages states to adopt laws requiring their schools to stock undesignated epinephrine auto-injectors for use in allergic emergencies;

Launching the Safe FARE program, which aims to make dining out safer and more enjoyable for individuals and families managing food allergies. The SafeFARE online resource center offers tools and resources, including a customizable “Food Allergy Alert” chef card and a “Find a Restaurant” feature that enables visitors to locate food allergy aware restaurants in their area, while the PSA is airing in major markets across the country;

Teaming with the Discovery Channel to produce an hour-long documentary, “An Emerging Epidemic: Food Allergies in America” narrated by Steve Carell, about living with food allergies and the search for a cure; and

Unveiling a comprehensive strategic plan, “A Vision and Plan for Food Allergy Research,” which will build a deep scientific understanding of food allergy and accelerate the development of safe, practical therapies that will protect all individuals with food allergies against life-threatening reactions.

Helen Jaffe of New Canaan and Walk Co-Chair said, “It was heartwarming to see entire families out walking in their own Team T-shirts, in support of their food allergic child’s entire support network. Despite daily hardships of living with food allergies, there were nothing but smiles on a beautiful summer-like day.”

An estimated 15 million Americans live with food allergy and every 3 minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency department.

There are more than 60 walks taking place across the United States this year. For more information visit www.foodallergywalk.org

ABOUT FARE

Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) works on behalf of the 15 million Americans with food allergies, including all those at risk for life-threatening anaphylaxis. This potentially deadly disease affects 1 in every 13 children in the U.S. – or roughly two in every classroom. FARE’s mission is to find a cure for food allergies, and to keep individuals with food allergies safe and included. We do this by investing in world-class research that advances treatment and understanding of the disease, providing evidence-based education and resources, undertaking advocacy at all levels of government and increasing awareness of food allergy as a serious public health issue. For more information, please visit www.foodallergy.org and find us on Twitter @FoodAllergy, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.