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CHARLOTTE, NC

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ABOUT PAK

Formed in April 2006 by parents that have children with various food allergies.

Our members include parents of children (from babies to young adults) with life-threatening food allergies.

PAK has grown to 400 members in Charlotte, North Carolina and the surrounding area.

We have a variety of meetings, guest speakers and special events such as a Food Free Zone Knights Baseball Game and a Food Free Halloween Carnival.

PAK has 2 medical advisers, Dr. Maeve O’Connor and Dr. Gray Norris from Carolina Asthma and Allergy Center. They are both board certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

The PAK motto is "Live Life...Bring Epi" We strive to be a support group not just for parents, but for our children as well...

PAK's LATEST NEWS:

July, 2010

Here are links to several food allergy articles and news pieces our local PAK members were a part of...

http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=10626826

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/05/1408246/from-allergies-comes-action.html

http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Fears-over-food-allergies-92423639.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808904575025013194645130.html

PAK Co-Founder Jen Lowrie, RD, LDN, CDE has started a new business, Food Allergy Nutrition Solutions, a nutrition consulting business helping individuals and families learn how to eat safe and healthy while living with food allergies. Jen is a Registered Dietitian for over 11 years and the mother of 4 children, 2 with food allergies. Check out the website at http://www.foodallergynutrition.com/

RESEARCH We spoke to our colleagues in the Raleigh area. If you have a child over the age of 12 with a peanut allergy or less than 3 years old and newly diagnosed with peanut allergy and are interested in the studies being done at Duke Children's Hospital, call Pam at 919-668-1333. We hear they will be doing tree nut studies and a peanut patch study this Fall.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Parents of Allergic Kids' goal is to provide a supportive environment for parents of and the children who have serious food allergies. We want to raise awareness about the prevalence and severity of food allergies. We also want to educate parents, caregivers, professionals, and our children's peers about safely caring for our children. We are not a professional organization. We are a network of friends who support each other. Be sure to discuss individual health questions and medical issues with your own qualified personal physician or health professional.

CONTACT PAK
If you have any questions for the coordinators of Parents of Allergic Kids, please email info@pakcharlotte.org. If you would like to join PAK, please go to the "Join PAK" tab on the top of this page and fill out the short form. We will set you up in our email database to receive monthly newsletters and instructions on joining the PAK message board. (It is free to join) Our message board is a great way to connect with members and is ideal for group discussions. PAK periodically posts information about the latest food allergy news and our meeting minutes in this forum.