Gluten-Free Food Banks Bridge Celiac Disease And Hunger

[Sherman A1]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/07/338593844/gluten-free-food-banks-bridge-celiac-disease-and-hunger?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140807

For people with celiac disease, eating gluten-free can be a struggle. But it's even harder for those who aren't always sure where their next meal will come from.

Two grass-roots organizations, Pierce's Pantry in Massachusetts and the National Gluten-Free Food Bank Movement in Denver, are working to help those people who are trapped between celiac disease and hunger. They're reaching out to food pantries to help them better serve their gluten-free clients by supplying more options and teaching pantries to identify and sort the gluten-free donations that they already have.

Though both organizations are focused on serving their local communities, they hope that more people around the country soon recognize the importance of meeting the needs of this population. Of course, no one really knows how many people with Celiac need food assistance, because no one is collecting the data.