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 15,000 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-to-five million children in the U.S. now have food allergies, many of whom are children of young, 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 17,000 members, with 450 new members joining each month.
• The www.kidswithfoodallergies.org  Web site receives 28,000 unique visitors, 65,000 total visits monthly, and its busy online support forums generate 170,000 page views each month with about 250 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.
• Volunteers, all 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 eight-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 

December 2008 
Bucks County Herald  Please Don't Pass the Peanuts (pdf)

November 2008
About.com (Parenting Special Needs) Site of the day: Allergy-Friendly Food Products

October 2008
The Auburn Plainsman Report Finds Increase in Food, Digestive Allergies

July 2008
The Family Groove  Allergic Reaction:What Parents Need to Know.

March 2008
NPR's "The Health Show"
About.com (Food Allergies) Easter: Candy-Free Alternatives for Kids

February 2008
About.com (Parenting Special Needs) Site of the day
About.com (Food Allergies) Food Allergy Resource of the Day 
December 2007
About.com (Food Allergies) Site of the Day
The Philadelphia Inquirer Safe Holidays for Allergic Children
Travel+Leisure Magazine Wheat? Peanut? Dairy? Don't let allergies ground your family.

Testimonials

How has KFA had an impact on your life?

“I don't think I can say just one thing... 1. I'm not alone anymore. It's not me against the daycare, the doctors, the in-laws. I have people to turn to who are speaking my same language and intimately know what I have been through. 2. My daughter's diet is broader and healthier than it would be if I were in this alone. I've learned about alternative foods I never knew existed before I joined KFA. And I'm much more proficient in the kitchen with the help of my friends at KFA. 3. My daughter is more included in special occasions and activities because I'm more confident speaking about food allergies and can better advocate for my daughter at preschool because of the support I get at KFA. I am more prepared for holidays and birthday parties with the ideas and tips I get from other parents at KFA. 4. The exchange of knowledge at KFA has enriched my dialog with my daughter's allergist, allowing me to be better prepared at appointments and ask more specific questions. 5. My daughter is safer. Parents at KFA alerted me to bad advice I got from a nutritionist that would likely have landed us in the emergency room. I hear about food recalls and learn about company reputations regarding their handling of food allergens. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

“KFA lets you know you are not alone! We all share similar experiences, fears, emotions, and concern for our precious children! It has been a true blessing to me! Thank you KFA!”

“This caring community has made life better for our whole family during the last 18 months. My son's diagnosis came from the allergist but all of the practical advice of how to live day to day came from the real experts in KFA support forums and the excellent resources on this site. Your willingness to share your own experiences and the wisdom that comes with it is a gift all year long. My stress levels are lower and my children's lives more normal because of all of you. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the kind people of KFA!”

Financial Information

• Funding Sources
  Charitable donations; corporate sponsorships; educational grants; e-newsletter advertising; Family Membership subscription fees; sales of logo items and merchandise; royalty revenue from purchases made at Amazon.com.
• Stewardship
  In 2007, Kids With Food Allergies allocated 85 percent of its expenditures for education, peer support, food/cooking assistance and outreach programs.
• Annual Report (2008) Download Report (PDF)
• Tax ID (EIN)  20-0330119
• Year of Advance Determination from IRS:  2004
• IRS Form 990 available at http://www.guidestar.org

More Information about Funding