Welcome to MOCHA's January 2019 ENews!
Allergic Living Article Featuring FARE
Food Allergy $200 Million Fundraising Campaign: Why Now and What Are the Goals?
Get to Know FARE's Medical Advisors
Nurry Hong
Interim Chief of Research Strategy & Innovation
Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH
Medical Advisor, Policy, Education, and Public Health
Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD
Medical Advisor, Innovation
Wayne Shreffler, MD, PhD
Medical Advisor, Research
Brian Vickery, MD
Medical Advisor, Patient Experience
FARE is partnering with eight NBA teams for Contains: Courage™ Nights
A series of unforgettable evenings of hoops and fun surrounded by members of the food allergy community. When you purchase a Contains: Courage™ Night ticket, you will enjoy discounted game tickets, special pre-game activities and giveaways. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to FARE. Ingredient information will be made available at select concession stands; each game will have at least one nut-free concession stand. You don’t need to have a food allergy to participate, so feel free to share this great opportunity with your community! 
Upcoming Events
AAAAI Annual Meeting
San Francisco, CA
Friday, February 22 -
Monday, February 25, 2019
Mark your calendars and head to San Francisco for the premier event in allergy/immunology. You will be able to earn CME/CE credit, learn about cutting-edge research, and grow your networking connections at the AAAAI Annual Meeting.
Bulls vs. Hawks FARE Day
United Center
Chicago, IL
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Join the Chicago Bulls on March 3rd against the Atlanta Hawks for Contains: Courage™ Day powered by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) and the Chicago Bulls! Tickets include a special event from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the United Center's Atrium featuring a number of family-friendly activities including a special appearance by the IncrediBulls! Up to $15 from every ticket goes to FARE’s transformative Contains: Courage™Campaign supporting families living with food allergies.
FARE Chicago Spring Luncheon
The Standard Club
Chicago, IL
Friday, April 5, 2019
Join us for an afternoon in support of Food Allergy Research & Education’s mission of bringing LIFE, HEALTH and HOPE to 15 million Americans with food allergies. This year's event will feature an informative symposium on the latest developments in food allergy research, our popular marketplace, and a program that is sure to leave you inspired.
Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center Luncheon
Knollwood Country Club
West Bloomfield, MI
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
The 5th Annual Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center Spring Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
FARE New York Spring Luncheon
Capriani 42nd Street
New York, NY
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Join us for an afternoon in support of Food Allergy Research & Education’s mission of bringing LIFE, HEALTH and HOPE to 15 million Americans with food allergies. This 20th anniversary event will feature a lunch, grand raffle, silent auction and program about the latest in food allergy news.
APFED 2019 EOS Connection
Patient Education Conference
The Bethesdan Hotel
Washington, DC
Thursday, July 25 - Sunday, July 27, 2019
Mark your calendars for APFED’s 17th Annual Patient Education Conference on Eosinophil-Associated Diseases (EADs) on July 25-27, 2019 in the Washington, DC area (Bethesda, MD)! Join us to meet patients and families, learn more about EADs, gain practical management strategies, and hear research updates from experts in the field.
FACES Chicago Event
Chicago, IL
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Save the Date for FACES ( Food Allergy Conference for Education and Science) Chicago! SOAAR is hosting the 2nd annual Midwest food allergy conference. Look out for more info soon!
5th CURED Patient Education Research Conference
Cincinnati, OH
Thursday, November 7 -
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Save the Date for the 5th CURED (Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophilic Disease) Patient Education Research Conference! Look out for more info soon!
FAACT's Camp TAG
Various Summer Dates & Locations
FAACT's (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team) Camp TAG (The Allergy Gang) provides a safe place for children with food allergies, eosinophilic disorders and asthma and their non-allergic siblings to have fun – with no worries about allergic reactions – and meet other children who share similar experiences. It is a bonding and empowering week for all campers, including parents. See site for dates and locations.
Newsletters, Articles, Books
Free Training from FARE
What's New at FARE
CONTAINS: COURAGE is a five-year campaign highlighting chilldren and teens living with food allergies who refuse to be defined by their allergies. 
FARE Boards
FARE is governed by a nine-member operating board known as the Board of Directors. FARE recently introduced two non-voting boards, the Board of Governors and the Board of National Ambassadors, to better position FARE to rapidly respond to the evolving landscape of food allergy and support the organization's growth.
FARE's Impact Report
FARE works hard to ensure that every dollar they raise advances the mission; improving life and health for 15 million Americans with food allergies and providing hope for the promise of new treatments.
FARE Collaborator Program: Join FARE in making a difference!
The Food Allergy Counselor, Tamara Hubbard, LCPC
Wish you could find a counseling professional in your area that understands food allergies? Check out the Food Allergy Counselor website and Directory for a list of food allergy professionals in your area.
Come SOAAR With Us!
Science and Outcomes of Allergy and Asthma Research (SOAAR) is a research program based out of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Led by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, the SOAAR team aims to find answers and shape policies surrounding food allergy and asthma.
FACEBOOK USERS: For those of you on Facebook, check out SOAAR's page by searching
The Food Allergy Experience.
Allergy Amulet Blog:
Emerging Epidemic: Latest Research on Childhood Food Allergies Shows Troubling Trend
Kids With Food Allergies Article:
Tips to Safely Celebrate Valentine's Day
With Food Allergies
Use these tips to safely celebrate Valentine's Day with food allergies, which includes ideas for celebrating both at home and at school.
BE A PAL-ENTINE!
Inspired by the Be a PAL: Protect A Life™ From Food Allergies education program to help children learn how to be a good friend to kids with food allergies around Valentine’s Day. 
The Food Allergy Experience
Written by Dr. Ruchi Gupta and Denise Bunning, The Food Allergy Experience provides a reliable source of information and advice in simple, easy-to-read terms. For those contending with food allergies, the book offers guidance and invaluable perspective. For friends, relatives, health care providers, teachers, and caregivers, the book will instill a better understanding of how food allergies impact life at home, at school, and in the community, helping them to more effectively assist children with food allergies. 
Chicagoland Hospitals
The University of Chicago
New research, led by Dr. Cathy Nagler and Dr. Roberto Berni Canani, shows that healthy infants have intestinal bacteria that prevent the development of food allergies.
Dr. Ciaccio has been selected to participate in a Phase 1 clinical drug trial for adolescents (ages 12-17) with peanut allergy that examines the safety, tolerability, and immune response to a sub-dermal (under the skin) peanut vaccine. Additionally, Dr. Ciaccio has been asked to participate in a Phase 3 clinical drug trial for young children (ages 1-3 years) with peanut allergy to assess the safety and efficacy of an epicutaneous immunotherapy (i.e. skin patch). These trials are currently under review by the IRB at the University of Chicago, but enrollment is expected to begin as early as February.
Outside of clinical drug trials, Dr. Ciaccio is also conducting some of her own research which includes The University of Chicago’s Asthma & Allergy Biorepository. The biorepository is a bio-specimen bank looking to collect blood, saliva, and stool samples from individuals with- and without asthma and/or food allergies in the hope of helping researchers understand these conditions more clearly in the future. Additionally, Dr. Ciaccio would encourage all interested individuals to participate in the University of Chicago’s Allergy/Immunology Research Registry. This is a secure, online database utilized by Dr. Ciaccio and her colleagues at the University of Chicago to notify individuals of research studies they may be interested in and qualify to participate in.
If anyone is interested in more information, they can reach out to Dr. Ciaccio’s research coordinator, Chris Omahen.
E  mail: comahen@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu Phone: 773-702-8137
Immunotherapy Studies at Lurie Children's Hospital
The Food Allergy Research Team at Lurie is the leading clinical trials team in the Chicagoland area participating in multiple immunotherapy studies for wheat, peanut, milk, multiple foods and other approaches. The purpose of the immunotherapy studyis to learn whether or not it can lessen the body’s sensitivity or response to an allergen, resulting in less severe or no allergic reactions. They are currently participating in DBV Technologies Epicutaneous (on the skin – via a patch) Immunotherapy studies. They are also participating in Aimmune Therapeutics Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) studies. Studies for Aimmune require ingestion of an allergen (peanut) in small doses that gradually increase over time. The Food Allergy Research Team is excited about the promising results presented for both OIT and Patch studies that are anticipated to be submitted to the FDA for approval later this year. The research team welcomes peoples’ interest in learning about future studies at Lurie Children’s.
The FASE Program at Lurie Children's Hospital
Food Allergy Support and Education (FASE) hosts monthly Essentials of Food Allergy Workshops, topic-based workshops, and Kids’ Food Allergy Hangouts for patients and friends of Lurie Children's, giving children with food allergy opportunities to be with peers who share their experiences. The FASE Program is led by Sarah Boudreau-Romano, MD, allergist and food allergy mom. Register today for two upcoming Kid Food Allergy Hangouts presented by FASE (Food Allergy Support and Education) Program. Give your kids a chance to meet others going through the same experience.
Apps, Food Allergy Friendly Companies, Videos
Meet the best food allergy app ever.
Spokin's 2019 Allergy-Friendly Valentine's Day Candy Guide
Roses are red, Violets are blue, we’ve checked Valentine’s Day candy allergens for you! NEW ADDITION: We’ve added classroom packs so you can nail the valentines and the treat at the same time. Few things say love more than safe candy!
Spokin Featured Content
Meet the Maker: Blake's Seed Based
Blake struggled to find bars that were safe for his tree nut allergy, tasted great and matched his healthy lifestyle. A successful Kickstarter campaign proved he wasn’t alone and Blake’s Seed Based was launched.
The Safe and Fair Food Company's
New Pea Protein Chips!
Say hello to the new gluten-free pea protein chips. With at least 9 grams of plant based protein per serving, these tasty chips pack a punch, without any nuts, egg, shellfish, or fish. Clean ingredients, great taste, and allergy-friendly food that everyone loves. Plus, 3% of their proceeds go to Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University.
OWYN
Made with only what you need and nothing that you don’t. Keeping things simple while sourcing only from plants and nothing else. OWYN 100% Plant-Based protein bars have unbeatable taste, superior nutrition, and the cleanest nutrient profile.
Contains: Courage FARE Campaign
 The Contains: Courage™ Campaign is a transformative five-year fundraising and awareness campaign supporting families living with food allergies, and educating ALL communities about the disease. With your support, FARE will drive awareness, ensure that communities have the tools they need to spread the word about food allergies and raise a historic amount of funding for research, therapies and treatments to improve the quality of life of children and adults who are affected. 
In a Matter of Minutes:
The Severity of Food Allergy with Steve Carell
"This is what I know..." by Susan Tatelli
Northwestern University: Peer-to-Peer Videos
Dr. Ruchi Gupta and her team have developed peer-to-peer food allergy educational videos that can be shown in classrooms! There are three videos tailored to different grade levels with corresponding FAQ sheets, teacher guides, and discussion questions for use in classrooms. The videos will allow peers to better understand and support their food allergic classmates.
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Contact Us!
Denise@MOCHAllergies.org
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Non-Allergic Food for Thought:

The world is not free of Milk, Egg, Tree Nut, Shellfish,
Peanut, Fish, Soy, Wheat, Seeds.
It is our job as parents to give our children the
Education,
Encouragement,
Experience and
Enthusiasm
To get out there and live their lives to the fullest - safely.
MOCHA is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. MOCHA offers support, education, and friendship, to help make managing your child’s food allergies just a little bit easier. Check out our website for the most current news and resources. Click the sign up link above to be added to our email distribution!
Disclaimer : M.O.C.H.A. is not a professional or medical organization. It is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. The discussions, meeting minutes, handouts, speakers, agendas, and other products of our support group do not constitute medical and/or legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always discuss individual health questions and medical issues with a qualified personal physician.