This Halloween, you can #ShineATealLight and help make the holiday inclusive for everyone! Explore our tips, tools, and resources to celebrate safely and confidently, and learn how you can spread awareness. We are so grateful to Cathy Gallagher for her incredible fundraiser—running 890 km and raising over $24,000 to support our charity, learn more about her journey! Welcome to our newest board member, Jenn O’Campo-King, learn more about her. We’re also excited to announce Kate Reid, our Director of Foodservice, has won a 40 under 40 award! Help us congratulate her. Catch our latest recordings from our anaphylaxis webinar, and two select sessions from our National Conference. Plus, with Thanksgiving happening this weekend, along with other holidays this month, be sure to review our holiday resources and tips on managing with confidence!
#ShineATealLight on food allergy this Halloween
Teal is the new orange! Make this Halloween season teal and showcase your inclusivity. #ShineATealLight to increase food allergy awareness and help your community celebrate safely.
Get involved this HalloweenAll across the country, monuments and landmarks will glow teal to raise food allergy awareness. You can join in, too—by lighting up your porch, adding teal touches to your Halloween décor, or making simple teal crafts with family and friends.
Plus, take a listen to Kyle Dine’s Shine A Light song and share with others, it’s a fun and catchy way to spread awareness!
Tips and tricksFind out how you and your family can be confident while trick-or-treating and at Halloween parties, and what to do with unwanted candy afterwards.
Don’t forget to check out our handy tip sheet for hosting a spooktacular, allergy-aware party that everyone can enjoy.
Shareable resourcesMake Halloween fun, safe, and inclusive for everyone! Share our free resources to show how you’re spreading awareness and creating allergy-friendly celebrations.
Download posters, make crafts, and more with your family and friends. Plus, check out our Halloween #FoodAllergyHacks and share them with others.
Drive awareness and supportCelebrate this Halloween season and make an impact. Host a fundraiser to support food allergy awareness, you can choose from our different event ideas.
You can also help spread the message while supporting our cause by purchasing our exclusive #ShineATealLight glow-in-the-dark bracelets – just $5, or 3 for $10. Purchase before October 24th to get them in time for Halloween.
Many thanks to our supporters for being #FoodAllergyChampions!
We truly appreciate the generosity of the organizations below for donating a considerable amount of media space throughout October so we could spread awareness and drive inclusivity with our #ShineATealLight campaign.
- VENDO Media for donating a significant amount of outdoor billboard space across Canada.
- Captivate Network for donating an extensive network of office lobby and elevator advertising across Canada.
- Adapt Media for donating a large amount of retail space where our ads appeared in independent convenience stores and small grocery and retail stores within city centres, busy intersections, and condo development areas.
- UB Media for donating a significant amount of advertising space across their national networks, including leading post-secondary campuses, and restaurants/bars.
From trail to triumph: Cathy’s 890 km run raises $24K for food allergy awareness!
Last month, Cathy Gallagher accomplished something extraordinary—she ran the 890 km of Ontario’s Bruce Trail! Along the way, she raised more than $24,000 to support food allergy awareness and education. We spoke with Cathy about her inspiring journey, what motivated her, and what this achievement means to her. Read her story below.
After running all 890 kilometres of the Bruce Trail in support of Food Allergy Canada, Cathy crossed the finish line.
“I cried and spent a moment trying to just be in the moment of finally completing this journey,” she said.
The run, which stretched over 17 days, was physically and mentally challenging. Injuries made the journey more difficult. “As my body and legs, especially, started to break down from shin splints to a quad injury, yes, I became concerned,” she explained. “But I knew I would finish. It was just a matter of how long it would take.”
Her motivation to continue was thinking about her son and others living with food allergy. “To keep me going I kept thinking about my son Jerrick and his days of being fearful of living with a life-threatening allergy. I thought of others that reached out to me who were so supportive and also face the same anaphylactic allergies as my family does.”
The fundraising goal for the campaign was originally $15,000. By the time the final kilometre was logged, more than $24,000 had been raised for Food Allergy Canada. “I believe the generosity in the donations came from the story and how my social media rep brought the trail ‘to life,’ making the highs and lows relatable,” she said. “I think donations went up as I got closer to Niagara as people want to believe in success and change and perhaps this gives them hope.”
Support from her community also played a big role. “Many of my friends and family became involved on the trail either pacing me or directly supporting me while I was on the trail, meeting me every 10 to 15 km or so to give me food and more water and also feeding my pacers,” she said. “They also promoted me along the way through word-of-mouth and social media. My colleagues promoted my cause as well. It was a great community, and I could not have done it without all of them.”
“There were so many memorable moments from laughs on the trails with friends to uplifting stories from others to keep me moving,” she said. “One of my most memorable moments was seeing my son’s hockey team show up for me in a very tough section called Beaver Valley, where I was starting to mentally break down on how hard this was. Seeing the team up there and having them run with me was very special. Also, seeing my kids come out on the trail and support me was a huge highlight.”
Messages of encouragement from families living with food allergy also kept her motivated. “Many days I was brought to tears by these messages, but it motivated me to keep moving forward,” she said. “I felt accountable to them.”
Cathy hopes her run helped raise awareness for food allergy. “I think journeys like this draw attention to food allergies,” she explained. “As this was a longer journey, through social media, I could spread the word through a story rather than just a one-day event.”
She also hopes to inspire others. “I hope people take away from my journey that we can all do hard things. We just need to be brave enough to try. Also, just spreading the word and being daring enough to take a chance on something for a cause that you truly believe is worthwhile. I also hope people take away that you need to advocate for your family’s health as no one else will do it for you.”
When asked what’s next, Cathy said she isn’t done with fundraising. “I will definitely do a fundraiser again in the future,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not sure what that looks like, but it will not be running for 17 days. But after seeing the success of this, I am motivated to do it again.”
Her final reflection comes back to community. “It’s important that we all support each other in this community of allergies,” she said. “For years, I just kept to myself and dealt with it alone, and being alone is very hard to deal with something as overwhelming as food allergies and being at risk of anaphylaxis. We all need to support each other.”
Thank you so much Cathy for your incredible support for our cause. Every step you took and dollar raised goes to helping the 3 million Canadians living with food allergy. If you were inspired by Cathy and would like to start your own fundraiser, learn more here.
Welcome Jenn Ocampo-King, our newest board member
We’re pleased to welcome Jenn Ocampo-King to our Board of Directors!
Jenn, Managing Director, Head of Securities Lending at TD, brings over 28 years of industry experience and a wealth of leadership expertise to the board. She is also a strong believer in giving back to her community, at work, she’s the Global Co-Chair for the Women at TD ERG. Her dedication to improving the lives of those affected by food allergy is personal—her 15-year-old daughter, Olivia, is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and shrimp. (Check out Olivia’s book The Adventures of Livie and Pinky, where a portion of the proceeds go to Food Allergy Canada!)
Our Board of Directors is a dedicated group of volunteers who lend their time, expertise, and leadership to advance Food Allergy Canada’s mission. Together, they help shape strategy, strengthen partnerships, and ensure we continue making meaningful impact for the food allergy community across Canada.
Celebrating Kate Reid, Director of Foodservice
We are thrilled to share that Kate Reid, Food Allergy Canada’s Director of Foodservice, has been recognized as one of Stop Foodborne Illness’ 40 under 40 honourees! This international award celebrates emerging leaders who are driving innovation and advancing food safety around the world.
Kate has been a true champion in bringing food allergy awareness to the forefront of the foodservice industry. Through her leadership, she’s helped launch and grow initiatives like Think Food Allergy, empowering foodservice professionals to create safer, more inclusive dining experiences for individuals with food allergy. From industry trade shows with both foodservice and public health, to national partnerships, Kate’s impact continues to strengthen education, collaboration, and best practices across Canada.
We’re incredibly proud of Kate for this well-deserved recognition. Please join us in congratulating her on this remarkable achievement!
Now available: Hear from experts on anaphylaxis, the diagnosis of food allergy – including how to find out if you or your child are still allergic, and the latest in immunotherapy treatments
Watch our latest webinar recording on the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, plus we are sharing the recordings of two insightful sessions from our National Conference.
Webinar: Know it. Treat it.: Taking control of anaphylaxis
In this session, Dr. Wade Watson covered the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, clarified when and why to use epinephrine instead of antihistamines like Benadryl®, and provided tools to help you act quickly and confidently. There are also eight different scenarios to test your knowledge.
National Conference highlights
Couldn’t attend our conference? We’ve got you covered! Two of our sessions are now available to watch on-demand.
Conference session: Delabelling and diagnostics: What’s the path to finding out if you or your child are still allergic?
Gain insights from Dr. Julia Upton in food allergy testing that will help you better understand your/your child’s food allergy and know if it has been outgrown. Watch this short 30-minute session to learn more!
Conference session: The evolution of immunotherapy in food allergy: What’s available now and in the immediate future
This 30-minute session with Dr. Edmond Chan provides a deeper dive into immunotherapy and a look at what’s available now and in the immediate future.
Celebrate with confidence
Sukkot, Thanksgiving, and Diwali are among the celebrations happening this month, and that means gathering with family and friends over meals. Take a look at our resources to help raise food allergy awareness at the table. You’ll also find tips for navigating holiday dining with confidence so everyone can enjoy the season together.
Check ingredients
Be sure to do the “triple check” for products purchased in-store and online. Ingredients may change without warning, and they may vary from what is listed on the product versus on a website.
Plus, companies may create special “holiday” editions of their products, which can be distinguished by different packaging. Although the product itself may look the same, the ingredients may differ from the regular version, as they may be manufactured in a different facility. It is important to read the ingredient label carefully from start to finish, including any “may contain” statements, on all product sizes and versions, even if it has been “safe” in the past.
Kitchen tips and recipes
If you’re hosting, read our tips to help avoid the risk of cross-contamination. Plus, discover our allergy-friendly recipes for anytime of the year.
Family get-togethers
Prep for celebrations with family – it always helps to have a strategy for the day. Learn how with our tips.
Eating out
If you’re eating out, it’s important to plan ahead. Read our tips on what to do before you go and when you’re there.
Carry your epinephrine
Be sure to carry your epinephrine auto-injectors with you and double-check that they are in-date. Find more auto-injector tips on our epinephrine sheet.