If you are time starved yet want to bring or serve freshly baked gourmet, gluten-free cookies, with no comprise, let me introduce you to The Half-Baked Baking Company. Their #glutenfree, #dairyfree, #wheatfree, #vegan, #non-GMO cookie mixes are made by simply adding melted butter and 1 egg (or substitutes).
Become an “insider” by taking part in their Kickstarter Campaign which runs from Tue., Nov. 25th to Tue., Dec. 23rd, 2015.
Their taste, texture and smoothness sets them apart. You can find these convenient mixes in 63 locations in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Watch for them on Amazon.com in January when their “All Purpose Flour Mix” will be added to their product line. These make FABULOUS cookies, pie crusts or biscotti! Have fun playing with each mix and let you imagination run wild.
“Cookies make people happy and really good cookies make people happier.”
KickStarter Campaign, Tue., Nov. 25th – Tue., Dec. 23rd, to rebrand production and deliver gourmet gluten free to everyone.
When a gluten free VIP comes to Denver, I like to give them a warm welcome. We had an inspiring night in honor of Dr. Rodney Ford with amazing people and great food! We were joined by Lew Newby from Three Spires Brewing Co, Rich Schneider from Raqualita’s Tortillas and creator of gluten free Sandwich Petals who brought food masterfully created by Daniel Asher at Root Down, and Katie Bauer, Owner of Nourished Health Wellness Center and Cooking School. It was a perfect night to sit on the patio with friends and enjoy conversation with Chris and Rodney Ford. I felt like the richest woman in the world to be surrounded by such intelligent and warm hearted people drinking incredible gluten free #craftbeer and wine and eating Katie and Daniel’s #GF creations! Let me know if you want to be invited next time a VIP comes to town.
For Immediate Release: September 17, 2013
CONTACT: Dee Valdez
Aka Gluten Free Dee
(C) 970.308.1062
[email protected]
The First Step: Tell Us You Need Gluten Free Food
“The greatest need is yet to come,” according to Salvation Army Logistics Chief, Major Wayne Wetter, referring to the need to feed the families from the 17,494* damaged homes, the 11,750* people evacuated or the 1,502* families who lost their homes from September floods in Colorado.
People impacted by the floods are living off their own money or insurance money right now and being fed at shelters, according to Major Wetter. “The greatest need will come when they begin the process of restoring their homes. At that point, we will increase our relief efforts as the cleanup become the focus rather than rescue efforts, which are the focus now,” according to Wetters.
The Salvation Army is currently preparing approximately 10,000 meals a day for emergency responders and those displaced by the floods. The recovery efforts will bring the bigger need. Wetters says there are 10 Canteens (mobile kitchens) in use now and there will be more as cleanup efforts increase.
“Common food being prepared for the masses include dishes like lasagna, spaghetti and hamburgers” says Wetters. “The food is prepared before we know who is being fed,” he says. “If someone needs gluten free food, we don’t know it unless they speak up and tell us.”
The Logistics Chief says if there is a need to purchase gluten free food, they will do it. Initially, there was no awareness of a need. After Gluten Free Dee, Founder of the National Gluten Free Food Bank Movement, had an extensive conversation with Wetters, he agreed to implement a process in Colorado throughout the Salvation Army emergency response system, so those needing gluten free food could be fed. The key, according the Wetters, is that if you need gluten free food tell the relief workers so we can feed you.
* Source: Colorado Office of Emergency Management
# # #
Press Release – Denver’s First Sustainable Gluten Free Food Bank Opens
June 27, 2013
CONTACT: Dee Valdez
Gluten Free Dee
Founder of the National Gluten Free Food Bank Movement
970.308.1062
Denver’s First Sustainable Gluten Free Food Bank Supported by 7 Colorado Gluten Free Food Manufacturers
“It’s time to get this very important work done. Parents and their kids are waiting for us.”
Nearly 20 gluten free food banks have been established across the country. Bienvenidos Food Bank in Denver’s Highland’s will be the first sustainable option available in Denver, Colorado, the most gluten free friendly city in the nation.
Denver’s first sustainable gluten free food bank will be dedicated today during a moving experience in 100 degree heat. From 4:00 – 5:30 pm Thursday, June 27th residents are encouraged to bring gluten free food to donate to those fed by Bienvenidos Food Bank in the hip Highland’s neighborhood in Denver. The food bank that serves more than 900 people a week is located in the basement of Our Merciful Savior Episcopal Church located at 2224 W. 32nd Ave. Denver, CO 20211.
The celebrated opening of Denver’s first gluten free food bank is supported by 7 Colorado-based companies including Udi’s Gluten Free, Glutino Foods, Qrunch Foods, Sandwith Petals, Gluten Free Things, North Denver Sausage and Yumbana Shoppe.
“We have hundreds of restaurants with gluten free menus and several with Celiac-friendly menus here in Denver, but we’re doing an inadequate job feeding the hungry who must eat gluten free. That is changing,” says the Founder of the National Gluten Free Food Bank Movement, Dee Valdez, a.k.a. Gluten Free Dee.
“The momentum to feed the poor that are physically unable to eat foods containing gluten is great, but needs to be focused,” says Valdez. “Generous gluten free product manufacturers are opening their checkbooks, and their hearts. They understand the impact of their generosity. It will have a ripple effect today, and for generations to come. It’s that important.”
Regular dependence on local pantries is becoming the norm rather than filling a gap for emergency situations.
https://www.facebook.com/udisglutenfree?fref=ts
“Emergency food from pantries is no longer being used simply to meet temporary acute food needs. A majority of the clients being served by the Feeding America network (54%) have visited a food pantry in six or more months during the past year.” Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple, Feeding America
The poor that suffer from gluten intolerance*, or Celiac Disease**, struggle to find options that won’t make them sick. Mothers and fathers struggling to feed their kids make gut wrenching choices when they rely on food banks to feed their gluten free child. Most often, they must choose between food they know will fill their child with pain or not filling their child’s belly at all. Stomach pain is only one side effect the kids suffer.
“…food insecurity and hunger together with other correlates of poverty, can dramatically alter the architecture of children’s brains, making it impossible for them to fulfill their potential.”
Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact, Feeding America
Gluten Free Dee founded the National Gluten Free Food Movement December 2009 in Loveland Colorado after recognizing that the gluten sensitive and Celiac hungry had few or no options for food that wouldn’t make them sick. “It was toughest when a parent would call to find out how to feed their Celiac child,” says Valdez, the parent of 2 kids who have taken themselves off gluten as adults so they could finally find relief to a host of symptoms.
Valdez organized a gluten-free pantry section in her community’s food bank, the House of Neighborly Service. The first of its kind in the United States, the House of Neighborly Service now distributes food to needy families who are on special diets. For Valdez, the idea was sparked by a phone call she received 17 years before.
“In the early 1990s, a single mom called me because she didn’t know how to feed her little girl who’d just been diagnosed with celiac disease,” recalls Valdez, who headed a local Celiac chapter at the time. I went through a list of products and her response was,
‘How can I afford that? I have to choose between feeding my daughter and feeding all my kids. What would you do? I guess my daughter will just have to learn to live with diarrhea.’
Nearly 20 years ago, Valdez gathered up 6 bags of gluten free groceries, left it on the mother’s doorstep and vowed she would someday find a way to provide help for ongoing needs like this.
A few weeks ago Valdez got a similar call from a single, disabled mother of 4 near Columbus Ohio, asking for immediate and ongoing help feeding her son diagnosed with Celiac Disease 3 weeks earlier
“He had Celiac!!!! I have never been so thrilled to find out my child has a disease. It might sound odd, but I finally had answers. Hooray!!! …As soon as the excitement wore off, I started feeling overwhelmed.”
Valdez took swift action Saturday when the call came in asking for help with food after resources were exhausted feeding gluten free food to this 3 year old. “Social media is a powerful tool to get the word out about a pressing need.,” says Valdez. “Twitter and Facebook allowed several people to meet an immediate need for this little boy. But a more permanent solution needs to be put into place because the cost of the food is so high.”
“On average, gluten-free products were a whopping 242% pricier than the gluten-containing versions.” Time Magazine, March 13, 2012
The Buy One Give One Campaign will be used around the nation to get gluten free sections into existing food banks. “It was the perfect pairing of community support, the systematic approach I’ve developed and manufacturer generosity,” says Valdez. “It’s time to get this very important work done. Parents and their kids are waiting for us.”
# # #
*Gluten Sensitivity
Individuals who experience distress when eating gluten-containing products and show improvement when following a gluten-free diet may have gluten sensitivity (GS), instead of celiac disease (CD). These individuals are unable to tolerate gluten and develop an adverse reaction when eating gluten. GS has not been well researched, but there is a significant amount of clinical evidence supporting the existence of this condition. In early 2012 GS was classified by an international group of recognized celiac experts as a distinct condition. It is estimated to affect up to ten times more people than CD Gluten Intolerance Group
**Celiac Disease
(Pronounced: SEE-lee-ack disease)
Celiac disease (CD), also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is a genetically linked autoimmune disorder that can affect both children and adults. In people with CD, eating certain types of grain-based products set off an immune response that causes damage to the small intestine. This, in turn, interferes with the small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients found in food, leading to malnutrition and a variety of other complications. The offending amino acid sequences are collectively called “gluten” and are found in wheat, barley, rye, and to a lesser extent, oats* (WBRO). Related proteins are found in triticale, spelt, kamut.
Initial processes begin this week for the opening of the new Gluten Free Food Bank to be located within the Bienvenidos Food Bank* in Denver’s Highlands.
“I’m so excited to see this come to fruition,” says Gluten Free Dee, Founder of the National Gluten Free Food Bank Movement. “I’m told people ask each week for gluten free options. Now, they will always have them available.”
Sorting begins at 9:30 this Thursday, June 13, 2013 to identify gluten free food already donated to the Bienvenidos in preparation for the new gluten free section to be dedicated Thursday, June 27.
With this initial process. High School and College age students are especially encouraged to support this effort so they can meet each other and set up regular sorting session at this progressive food bank.
The Dedication Ceremony will be sometime in the afternoon or evening Thursday, June 27
*2224 W. 32nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211
(basement of Our Merciful Savior Episcopal Church)
- Volunteers are welcome to help
- We’ll post the details as soon as they are determined!
Tell us which brand you’re going to buy this week in order to post it next week!
Print this off RIGHT NOW and take it with you!
Grocery Shopping List for Inaugural Buy One Give One Campaign
Feed your family well and you’ll be feeding someone else’s
UDI’S GLUTEN FREE
Such a generous offering from Udi’s so stock up!
FROZEN
1. White Sandwich Bread
2. Whole Grain Bread
3. Plain Bagels
4. Mighty Bagels
5. Classic Hamburger Buns
6. Classic Hotdog Buns
7. Double Vanilla Muffins
8. Harvest Crunch Muffins
9. Chocolate Chip Cookies
10. Dark Chocolate Brownies
DRY SHELF
1. Original Granola
2. Au Naturel Granola (nut-free)
3. Cherry Walnut Granola Clusters
4. Cranberry Almond Granola Bars
5. Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
6. Ancient Grain Granola Bars
QRUNCH Foods
Any Flavor QRUNCH Burger – Original, Italian, Mexican, Curry
You’ll have fun playing with these because they are quick and easy!
Any flavor non-GMO Breakfast Bars – Strawberry, Apple, Blueberry, Cranberry
What a great gift these will be for a family in need. You’ll be happy you got them to get you thru your busy summer!
SandwichPetals.com may be the only place to get these. I don’t think they are distributed in FL unless you have Wegman’s or Hy-Vee. This is one of my most favorite products! It’s gluten free flatbread in 3 flavors.
This high end sausage is truly gourmet and made with lots of love, the old fashioned way. Purchase the Hot Dry Italian or the Dry Garlic Sausage for your next concert in the park or day at the water park with the kids and some lucky family will be thrilled with the unexpected find from the food bank!
John’s pizza totally rocks my world! It’s the good stuff and can be made vegan and dairy free using Dayia Cheese. Buy the Deep Dish and Gluten Free Things donates a Deep Dish. I wish I could see the look on the mom or dad’s face when they find out their gluten free kiddo gets to eat pizza! Not your average food bank food!
You may purchase any of these delectable baked goods and muffins will be donated! EVERYTHING is fantastic but if you like lemon, I’d recommend the Lemon Muffins, and the Carrot Cake, and the dinner rolls…
Glutino’s Toaster Pastries are perfect for that busy mother who has a gluten free child to feed, and others to feed, regardless of who’s gluten free. And these are perfect to pop into the toaster, and serve up to the gluten free child, while the mom gets breakfast for the others. Or even, serve it up for the whole family, it’s quick and they’re yummy! Why let one child have all the fun?
Below we will tell you more about their two excellent Toaster Pastry flavors; Apple Cinnamon and Strawberry!
More passionate than Cleopatra and Anthony, more enduring than Liz and Richard, more comfortable than Bert and Ernie. Apple and Cinnamon: THE match made in heaven.
Like biting into paradise
“AAA” is for Absolutely Amazingly Apple
No wonder William Tell made overtures.
Go ahead. Make your day.
An Apple Toaster Pastry a day keeps the smile on your face.
The strawberry is nature’s way of giving you a kiss, a little peck to perk your spirits, to start your day off with a wink and a smile. This is your day, go and get it.
Sweet and luscious
Strawberry thrills forever.
A gooey-good morning to you!
Your new mantra: yummmmmmm
June 5, 2013
CONTACT: Dee Valdez
Gluten Free Dee
Founder of the National Gluten Free Food Bank Movement
970.308.1062
Social Media to Trigger Supply of Gluten Free Food for the Hungry, Starting in Denver, CO
Inaugural Buy One Give One Campaign YouTube Video
Denver, CO, Gluten Free Dee’s Inaugural “Buy One Give One Campaign” gives consumers the opportunity to have food donated to gluten free food banks, on their behalf, by buying the products they eat anyway. A simple posting on Facebook showing product use, and thanking the sponsors, is all it takes; “Buy It, Post It, Share It” 3 simple steps and you’ve donated!
The launch has begun in Denver, Colorado, wherein all consumers can support the hungry sickened by gluten. This social media campaign is being combined with the celebrated opening of Denver’s first gluten free food bank later in June. Sponsors include Colorado-based
Regular dependence on local pantries is becoming the norm rather than filling a gap for emergency situations.
https://www.facebook.com/udisglutenfree?fref=ts
“Emergency food from pantries is no longer being used simply to meet temporary acute food needs. A majority of the clients being served by the Feeding America network (54%) have visited a food pantry in six or more months during the past year.” Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple, Feeding America
The poor that suffer from gluten intolerance*, or Celiac Disease**, struggle to find options that won’t make them sick. Mothers and fathers struggling to feed their kids make gut wrenching choices when they rely on food banks to feed their gluten free child. Most often, they must choose between food they know will fill their child with pain or not filling their child’s belly at all. Stomach pain is only one side effect the kids suffer.
“…food insecurity and hunger together with other correlates of poverty, can dramatically alter the architecture of children’s brains, making it impossible for them to fulfill their potential.”
Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact, Feeding America
Nearly 20 gluten free food banks have been established across the country, but no such sustainable option is available in Denver, Colorado, the most gluten free friendly city in the nation.
“We have hundreds of restaurants with gluten free menus and several with Celiac-friendly menus here in Denver, but we’re doing an inadequate job feeding the hungry who must eat gluten free. That’s going to change,” says the Founder of the National Gluten Free Food Bank Movement, Dee Valdez, a.k.a. Gluten Free Dee.
“The momentum to feed the poor that are physically unable to eat foods containing gluten is great, but needs to be focused,” says Valdez. “Generous gluten free product manufacturers are opening their checkbooks, and their hearts. They understand the impact of their generosity. It will have a ripple effect today, and for generations to come. It’s that important. We just need the community to do their part.”
Gluten Free Dee founded the National Gluten Free Food Movement December 2009 in Loveland Colorado after recognizing that the gluten sensitive and Celiac hungry had few or no options for food that wouldn’t make them sick. “It was toughest when a parent would call to find out how to feed their Celiac child,” says Valdez, the parent of 2 kids who have taken themselves off gluten as adults so they could finally find relief to a host of symptoms.
Valdez organized a gluten-free pantry section in her community’s food bank, the House of Neighborly Service. The first of its kind in the United States, the House of Neighborly Service now distributes food to needy families who are on special diets. For Valdez, the idea was sparked by a phone call she received 17 years before.
“In the early 1990s, a single mom called me because she didn’t know how to feed her little girl who’d just been diagnosed with celiac disease,” recalls Valdez, who headed a local Celiac chapter at the time. I went through a list of products and her response was,
‘How can I afford that? I have to choose between feeding my daughter and feeding all my kids. What would you do? I guess my daughter will just have to learn to live with diarrhea.’
Nearly 20 years ago, Valdez gathered up 6 bags of gluten free groceries, left it on the mother’s doorstep and vowed she would someday find a way to provide help for ongoing needs like this.
Just this week Valdez got a similar call from a single, disabled mother of 4 near Columbus Ohio, asking for immediate and ongoing help feeding her son diagnosed with Celiac Disease 3 weeks earlier
“He had Celiac!!!! I have never been so thrilled to find out my child has a disease. It might sound odd, but I finally had answers. Hooray!!! …As soon as the excitement wore off, I started feeling overwhelmed.”
Valdez took swift action Saturday when the call came in asking for help with food after resources were exhausted feeding gluten free food to this 3 year old. “Social media is a powerful tool to get the word out about a pressing need.,” says Valdez. “Twitter and Facebook allowed several people to meet an immediate need for this little boy. But a more permanent solution needs to be put into place because the cost of the food is so high.”
“On average, gluten-free products were a whopping 242% pricier than the gluten-containing versions.” Time Magazine, March 13, 2012
The Buy One Give One Campaign will be used around the nation to get gluten free sections into existing food banks. “It’s the perfect pairing of community support, the systematic approach I’ve developed and manufacturer generosity,” says Valdez. “It’s time to get this very important work done. Parents and their kids are waiting for us.”
# # #
*Gluten Sensitivity
Individuals who experience distress when eating gluten-containing products and show improvement when following a gluten-free diet may have gluten sensitivity (GS), instead of celiac disease (CD). These individuals are unable to tolerate gluten and develop an adverse reaction when eating gluten. GS has not been well researched, but there is a significant amount of clinical evidence supporting the existence of this condition. In early 2012 GS was classified by an international group of recognized celiac experts as a distinct condition. It is estimated to affect up to ten times more people than CD Gluten Intolerance Group
**Celiac Disease
(Pronounced: SEE-lee-ack disease)
Celiac disease (CD), also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is a genetically linked autoimmune disorder that can affect both children and adults. In people with CD, eating certain types of grain-based products set off an immune response that causes damage to the small intestine. This, in turn, interferes with the small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients found in food, leading to malnutrition and a variety of other complications. The offending amino acid sequences are collectively called “gluten” and are found in wheat, barley, rye, and to a lesser extent, oats* (WBRO). Related proteins are found in triticale, spelt, kamut. Celiac Spru Association
We’ve been frolicking, and asking people to come play with us in the Inaugural Buy One Give one Campaign. But we wanted to take a moment to let it sink in what we’re REALLY doing here. In 1992 when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, Pamela’s baking mix, and Amy’s were the brands I lived off of. But that was in 1992. Shooting videos for the Buy One Give One Campaign, I was overcome with emotion. Realizing how normal life can be now for people who have Celiac Disease. IF you have the money, but if not, you have to rely on a food bank. And we have an abundance of all kind of food, Gluten Free or not, and we want you to help us share this abundance. Join us on the Inaugural Buy One Give One Campaign, and help that family that has to rely on a food bank, help that poor mother, whose child has Celiac Disease. Feed your family well, and you’ll be feeding someone else’s.
Until Monday, June 17th, you can trigger a donation to the next Gluten Free Food Bank to be established, here in Denver. All you have to do is:
- Purchase a product from a participating sponsor
- Take a picture or make a quick video of why you LOVE the product and what it means to be able to feed a hungry gluten free kiddo (be sure to thank the generous sponsor for participating as well!).
- Post the pic or video on the sponsors Facebook Page with #GFDBOGO on all postings
- Post the pic or video on my Facebook Page with #GFDBOGO
- Spread the word (Tweet it! Pin It! Link It! Gram It! + It!)
Inaugural Buy One Give One Campaign – Gluten Free Things
Which Gluten Free Things Pizza is your favorite?
Show the sponsor your favorite pizza with #GFDBOGO and a pic
Pizza is all the rage in the Gluten Free world, and there’s good reason for it! With Gluten Free Things different pizzas, there’s something for everybody – including vegans! The Hawaiian’s my favorite if you can’t tell by the way I eye it in the video. And Gluten Free Things wants to give a needy gluten free family the treat they deserve!
Gluten Free Things is a part of the Inaugural Buy One Give One Campaign designed to launch Gluten Free Food Banks across the country. Until Monday, June 17th, you can trigger a donation to the next Gluten Free Food Bank to be established here in Denver. All you have to do is:
- Purchase a product from a participating sponsor
- Take a picture or make a quick video of why you LOVE the product and what it means to be able to feed a hungry gluten free kiddo (be sure to thank the generous sponsor for participating as well!).
- Post the pic or video on the sponsors Facebook Page with #GFDBOGO on all postings
- Post the pic or video on my Facebook Page with #GFDBOGO
- Spread the word (Tweet it! Pin It! Link It! Gram It! + It!)
Feed your family well and you’ll be feeding someone else’s
