This week is the 18th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, from May 11 – 17, 2014.  Austin Families with Food Allergies (AFFA) has shared a few ways you can get involved:

Monday, May 12:

• Wear teal today in support of food allergy awareness! ‪#‎TealTakeover www.foodallergy.org/tealtakeover Post your photos on our Facebook page!
• Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) Twitter Party! To kick off Food Allergy Awareness Week, FARE will be hosting a Twitter chat that will allow you to “Ask the Experts” your questions about food allergies. With members of FARE staff moderating, Ruchi Gupta, MD, PhD and Wayne Shreffler, MD, PhD will answer questions submitted by parents or individuals with food allergies, or anyone else interested in the topic.  Click the link below for details – http://ow.ly/wIZ2y
• Challenge your friends or family to “subtract” an allergen from their diet for a week!
• In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week – Support Danny’s Pantry’s FIRST Food Drive ending May 17, 2014.  Please donate food FREE of the following: Dairy, Egg, Wheat, Peanut, Soy, Gluten, and Shellfish.   Location: Cameron Road Church of Christ (East Austin).  For more information, contact Sun at sunconnor (at)gmail (dot)com.

Tuesday, May 13:

• School Awareness Day!  Make a food allergy presentation or hang an Awareness Poster at a local school.
• #TealTakeover – Bake food allergy friendly cookies for friatends, co-workers and family.  Here’s the recipe!  http://ow.ly/wIZoU
• The Austin Walk for Food Allergy is November 1, 2014.  Register here!  http://ow.ly/wJ26h

Wednesday, May 14:

• Anaphylaxis Awareness Day! Learn how to use an epinephrine auto-injector or train someone else.
• The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, in cooperation with the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (GSCNC), offers the Be a PAL Patch Program. Girl Scouts from any council can earn the patch. Information located on FAAN’s website.

Thursday, May 15:

• Contact your legislators. You can help to get important legislation passed by simply contacting your representatives and asking for their support. Visit www.foodallergy.org for all the information you’ll need to easily do this.
• Host or Create your own Fundraiser to support this year’s Austin Walk for Food Allergy.

Friday, May 16:

• Read a food allergy story at your local library, go into your child’s classroom, do a social media blitz to your friends, family, co-workers.  Visit www.foodallergy.org for video links, story ideas, coloring pages & more.
• Jennifer B-Food Allergy Buzz’s – ANNUAL Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) Twitter Party! Use #foodallergy to tweet and participate! Let’s make #foodallergy #1 trending topic again! (Twitter @foodallergybuzz)  Learn more here.

Saturday, May 17:

• Learning at Libraries Day!  Donate a Food Allergy Book to your local library.
• Don’t forget to register for the Austin Walk for Food Allergy! http://ow.ly/wJ2oB
• 10:30 a.m. – Food-free Family Story time at the Round Rock Library (216 East Main Street, Round Rock, Texas 78664). This interactive program includes a variety of activities such as books, fingerplay, music, movies, and puppets.

For more information on Food Allergy Awareness Week (and giveaways), visit our Facebook page here.

Austin Families with Food Allergies is a support group of parents located throughout the Austin-metro area raising children with food allergies.  The Austin Walk for Food Allergy is organized by Austin Families with Food Allergies in conjunction with The Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).

FARE is a non-profit organization that provides services nationwide, funds research of food allergies and has been at the forefront of progress in food allergy awareness, advocacy, education, and research.  Findings from FARE-sponsored studies have been used to change laws here in Texas, improve school policies, raise public awareness, and provide education for patients, caregivers and health professionals.  Funds from programs like the FARE Walk for Food Allergy support FARE’s efforts to achieve these feats.