Press Kit: Kids With Food Allergies, Inc.

Press Kit

Kids With Food Allergies welcomes media inquiries. We can help provide you with information about food allergies, or connect you with members of our Medical Advisory Team, or with parents raising children with food allergies and related conditions.

Download Press Kit (PDF) Download KFA Quick Facts (PDF)

Media Contact: 

Lynda Mitchell, President and CEO
(215) 230-5394 Email

Media Contact (Sponsorships and Advertising)

Sponsorships and advertising are available for our Web site, e-newsletters and for local events.   
Michele Cassalia, Development Coordinator
(267) 864-6979 Email

Headquarters 

Doylestown (Bucks County), Pennsylvania

Mailing Address

73 Old Dublin Pike, Ste. 10, #163, Doylestown, PA  18901

Mission  

Kids With Food Allergies fosters optimal health, nutrition, and well-being of children with food allergies by providing education and a caring support community for their families and caregivers.

History

Kids With Food Allergies, Inc. (KFA) actually began as a listserv called Parents of
Food Allergic Kids, or POFAK™, in September 1998. By 2000, membership reached more than 1,000. Based on this growth, it was obvious that an organized, professionally-led effort was necessary to provide trustworthy food allergy information, food and cooking help, and peer support to families, many of whom are isolated and wanting to connect with other families like them. In 2005, KFA was launched as a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Today, KFA is one of the largest nonprofit organizations serving parents of food-allergic kids, offering a powerhouse of support resources to its more than 20,000 members. POFAK™ still remains as the peer support community for parents to communicate and educate, as well as to provide a “World of Support” to those learning to adapt to and live a food allergy lifestyle.

Facts about the Organization

• An estimated three million children in the U.S. now have food allergies, many of whom are young children of parents who turn to the Internet for food allergy information, news and support.
• Organizational growth mirrors the recent, unprecedented rise in food allergies and the use of the Internet for seeking health information:
• KFA has more than 20,000 members, with 500 new members joining each month.
• The www.kidswithfoodallergies.org  website receives 30,000 unique visitors, 65,000 total visits monthly, and its busy online support forums generate 170,000 page views each month with about 300 messages posted by members daily. The allergy-friendly Safe Eats™ recipe database houses more than 1,000 recipes.
• KFA does not raise money for research for a future cure for food allergies.  Instead, KFA focuses on creating better lives for children today by providing emotional and social support to families, education and food/cooking assistance.
• KFA's Online Community Manager is a social worker. Volunteers (whom are also parents of children with food allergies) staff KFA's peer support forums (message boards).   Volunteers do not provide medical advice, as they are not medical professionals. However they do provide information and emotional support so parents can make more informed decisions, prepare safe meals, and advocate for their children's health and well-being.
• The organization is governed by a six-member volunteer Board of Directors and is guided by an 13-member Medical Advisory Team.  The KFA Medical Advisory Team independently reviews and recommends allergy books for the Kids With Food Allergies Book Shop, composes and reviews educational Resources, screens Allergy Links for approval, and provides general guidance for the POFAK™ peer support forums.
• The Chief Executive Officer leads the day-to-day operations of the organization.

Chief Executive Bio

Lynda Mitchell received her Master's degree in Health Information Management with a certificate in Health Informatics from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.  She has 20 years’ experience in hospital management, consulting, teaching at the college level and in conducting training sessions and educational seminars.  Her son, now a teenager, developed multiple, severe food allergies as an infant when there was virtually no information or support available for those raising children with food allergies.  In 1998, she helped start the Parents of Food Allergic Kids (POFAK) online support group to connect other parents for peer support, information, tips and coping strategies. In 2004, she founded Kids With Food Allergies to better serve the growing needs of the many parents raising a child with food allergy who turn to the Internet for peer support and health information for raising their food allergic children. Mrs. Mitchell received her B.S. from Temple University (summa cum laude). She lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband, a retired naval officer, her son and her two Labrador Retrievers.

Recent News Stories About or Mentioning Kids With Food Allergies 

June 2010
St. Petersburg Times Simple Treatments Help Boy's Severe Eczema

June 2010
QSR Magazine Restaurants Keep Customer Food Allergies and Intolerances in Mind

May 2010 
New York Times Food Allergies Take a Toll on Families and Finances

May 2010
WebMD Study: Food Allergy Guidelines Needed; Overdiagnosis Common with Skin, Blood Testing

November 2009
Philadelphia Business Journal Nonprofits Get the Word Out Through Social Media

Testimonials

“KFA changed my perspective on food allergies. I used to have more fear and frustration. KFA helped me see that the difficulties surrounding food allergies can be met and overcome. I feel so much less limited and so much more empowered.”

“I recommend KFA to anyone who knows someone struggling with food allergies. It is truly a world of support.”

“KFA provides hope, encouragement, and a forum for parents to get support from other parents whom are facing similar challenges. It is nice to know you are not alone.”

Financial Information

• Funding Sources
  Charitable donations; corporate sponsorships; educational grants; e-newsletter advertising; Family Membership subscriptions; sales of logo items and merchandise; royalty revenue from purchases made at Amazon.com.
• Stewardship
  In 2009, Kids With Food Allergies allocated 80 percent of its expenditures for education, peer support, food/cooking assistance and outreach programs.
• Annual Report (2009) (PDF)
• Tax ID (EIN)  20-0330119
• Year of Advance Determination from IRS:  2004
• IRS Form 990 available at http://www.guidestar.org