Spread the Word! May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010Happy Celiac Disease Awareness Month everyone!
May has unofficially been the month to bring awareness to celiac disease. However, there are many states that have taken this monthly recognition of celiac disease a step further and have officially declared May “Celiac Disease Awareness Month”.
Just this weekend, I ran across some activities & actions that supporters are engaging in to bring awareness to celiac disease. If any of you know of any states / provinces that recognize May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month or any activities that are happening during the month to bring awareness to celiac disease, please share by posting a comment to this blog post.
The American Celiac Disease Alliance is campaigning folks to make sure all State Representatives know about celiac disease during the month of May. Check out this link for a quick and easy way to shout out to your state representative. (Note: It’s great! All you do is enter your zip code and it links you up with your state rep with an standard letter that can also be customized – so quick & so easy!).
Here are some of the noteworthy activities regarding the celebration of Celiac Disease Awareness month that I recently became aware of:
New York Senate Declares May Celiac Disease Awareness Month & Proposes Two Bills Concerning Celiac Disease:
According to the TimesUnion.com, Senator Kevin Parker recognized various organizations and groups for their work in helping to raise awareness of Celiac Disease in the state of New York. Some of the organizations that were recognized include: The Greater New York City Celiac Support Group, NYCeliac, The New York Restaurant Association, The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, Sherry Lynn’s Gluten Free Restaurant, Wheatfield’s Restaurant, The Celiac Disease Foundation and The Celiac Disease Resource, Inc.
In addition to acknowledging May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month there are also two proposed bills in New York. One would raise awareness of celiac disease by creating a statewide educational program to train health care workers on the causes and consequences of celiac disease.
The second bill would require every cafeteria leased or operated by the state of New York to post information regarding which foods being served contains gluten. My Take?: New Yorkers now need to rally and follow in Massachusetts lead to take this law a step further… they need to implement this regulation to include ALL food allergens and to request it into law at ALL food service establishments.
North Carolina Governor Declares May Celiac Disease Awareness Month:
According to Zach at The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog, Governor Beverly Perdue has declared May 2010 “Celiac Disease Awareness Month” in North Carolina. The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog and Pat Berger, leader of the North Raleigh Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) Support Group brought the petition to the Governor’s office regarding the awareness month. Cheers to Zach and Pat!
In celebration of Celiac Disease Awareness Month, residents in the Raleigh N.C. area can participate in a gluten-free food drive at various locations or make a monetary donation to help stock the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Find out more on Zach’s website.
And to sweeten the celebration, Bella Monica Italian Restaurant is hosting a six-course gluten-free dinner prepared by Vanessa Maltin, food and lifestyle editor for Delight Gluten-free Magazine. I Wish I lived closer so I could attend! I love Bella Monica pizza and everything Vanessa cooks-up, so I am certain this event is one of the most-happening & tasty celiac events this month!
Last, The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog worked with Sofia Noble of the design firm This Is Beautiful to create a poster featuring all of the top food allergens, including gluten. This poster is now available for download in English and Spanish at the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog.
Thanks, Zach for all you do for the gluten free / celiac community!
Again, please post a comment to let us know of any celiac awareness activities happening in YOUR area during the month of May!