North: Areia Project raises food allergy awareness with 5km run
Duluth is a city known for running, with a ton of different running and walking events happening over the weekend, but the Aleia Project held its only fundraiser this past weekend.
“Running is such a big part of our community and lifestyle, so choosing to run would be the best way to raise awareness in the community, get people involved and bring people together,” said Duluth resident Tony Bye, who participated in the run with his daughter, Autumn.
The Aleia Project is a non-profit organization established to support, provide resources and serve the food allergy community.
Last year, the Areia Project held its first ever 5k race and this year it was even more well-attended and much more fun, which is important as we can’t hold a race like this very often.
“This is our only fundraiser of the year,” says Emily Homan, co-founder of the Areia Project, “so every sponsor and registrant we get means so much to us because it allows us to provide our resources for free.”
People who came to run the 5k, with or without food allergies, were giving back to the community just by being there.
It’s a common misconception that food allergies develop at a young age and stay that way, but in reality that’s simply not true.
“Food allergies can occur at any time, so it’s important to pay attention to your body and the changes within it,” Homan says. “Food allergies don’t just happen to young children. It’s not uncommon for people to be diagnosed with food allergies in their 50s and 60s to foods they’ve eaten their whole lives, so it’s important to watch for signs and symptoms and ask questions.”
When we think of foods most affected by them, dairy products, shellfish, and of course peanuts and tree nuts come to mind.
“My daughter, Autumn, has a peanut allergy, and not many people know that it’s an airborne allergy,” Bai said. “So it’s really important for kids to wash their hands and face after they finish eating because it could have serious consequences for us. People think COVID-19 is a bad thing. We live in a world of COVID-19 every day with my daughter’s allergies.”
Related article: Duluth Runs North
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