Islanders asked to donate more gluten-free items to food bank

The P.E.I. chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association is encouraging Islanders to consider choosing gluten-free products the next time they donate to the food bank.  

The association says one per cent of Canadians have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, and another four per cent must eat gluten-free for other health reasons. 

Even a speck of gluten can make some people who have celiac disease sick. 

"It not only affects us for one day, it could affect us for weeks — you'll have brain fog, you'll have different stomach issues," said Jillian van Duinkerken, who has celiac disease and is the communications director for the P.E.I. chapter of the celiac association. She also helps run the family business, Duinkerken Foods, which creates and sells gluten-free foods worldwide.  

"If you don't follow the diet, you can actually have cancer and different types of health issues later in life, so it's a diet that you have to follow," she said.

'Not something that we can purchase'

However, certified gluten-free foods are almost always more expensive, and COVID-19 has created food insecurity with losses or reductions in employment income.

Anyone who eats gluten-free has extra challenges when accessing food at food banks, which typically provide things like canned soup, cereal and instant noodles, which usually contain wheat. 

So the association has started a campaign called Save Me For Gluten-Free, encouraging Islanders to donate certified gluten-free foods to local food banks. The association has provided grocery bags with a special label to food banks to keep gluten-free food separate from other donations. Islanders can also download the label to put on their donations. 

The Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown has several clients that rely on gluten-free food, said executive director Mike MacDonald. 

"It is hard for us to stock the product, and it's certainly not something that we can purchase, just again with the cost associated with it," he said. "We're just very happy and thankful that they're doing this for us." 

The celiac association has a contest underway to encourage people to sign up for its new initiative — those who donate gluten-free items are eligible to win a $100 gluten-free food basket. Find out more on its Facebook page. 

May is celiac awareness month. Van Duinkerken urges anyone who thinks they may have celiac to go to the association's website, itsnotpretend.ca, and use its symptom-checker. The site also has gluten-free recipes. 

Charlottetown city hall will also be lit up with green lights May 16 to help increase awareness of celiac disease, van Duinkerken said. 

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