<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I'd like to share my perspective on relief efforts based on my experience in
Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks, where some generous offers to help celiacs
were made but perhaps none were actually put into practice. (They might not
have been needed.) Perhaps the following can be useful in relation to any
current efforts.

It seems to me that there are two basic types of food relief for celiacs.
One type would be direct provision of gf food to celiacs under the care of
agencies, including people in areas that are cut off from typical supply
routes. Examples would include celiacs living in shelters (or even
hospitals) where food is brought to them. For this type of situation, the
responsibility for providing food will probably rest with the agency (i.e.
FEMA, the American Red Cross, a hospital). I'm not fully informed about how
such agencies serve people on medical diets, though it seems to me that
wheat products are often provided under emergency conditions. It would be
helpful to know what policies these agencies have when it comes to serving
celiacs and other people on medical diets. Perhaps a celiac organization (or
another group such as FAAN) could reach officials at places like FEMA to get
information about that.

The other type of food relief is availability of gf food to celiacs who have
more independence and more ability to use normal transportation. These
people--who might, for example, be staying with a host family and might now
be in financial trouble--might be better able to travel to a store or
community center to get food, or receive food via mail. Yet their access to
gf food might be impaired by shortages, travel problems, financial
difficulties, and poor communication about where and how gf food can be
found. For this type of celiac, the best people to help might be other
celiacs in the affected area who can act as liaisons. These liaisons would
be responsible for figuring where celiacs would be likely to seek food and
information and then helping them get that food and information. They could
post messages (not just online, but, say, on the door of a health food or
grocery store) about where gatherings might take place, how food could be
obtained, etc. They could also try to coordinate efforts with any local
stores that carry gf products, see if those stores could use help
restocking, staying open, etc., and let the greater celiac community know
how it can lend support.

Finally, in thinking about all this, I am curious as to how many celiacs
might really *need* to receive aid, since there is much food that celiacs
can eat safely. Perhaps the most needy are celiac
infants and others who need advocates to ensure that they get appropriate
foods. Next might be
anyone else who is in a shelter-type situation where the only food available
is food that is provided.

Anyway, I hope that Annette Bentley and other celiacs from the affected
regions will use this public email forum to keep us informed
about their experiences, their needs, and their insights into how celiacs
can be helped during this crisis.

Sincerely,

David

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *