Another, Teal-O-Ween is happening at Al Lopez Park in Tampa this year!

What is Teal-O-Ween?

This event is Tampa Bay’s only allergen-friendly Halloween event! There will be games, crafts and giveaways. Of course, there will also be trick-or-treating, but it will not include any food. According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), teal is the color for food allergy awareness and has been used to raise awareness about food-related medical conditions for 20 years – hence the name, Teal-O-Ween for this event!

Date: October 30th, 2022

Time: 2pm-4pm

Location: Al Lopez Park – 4810 N Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33614

Tickets: $5/each – must be purchased in advance, click here to purchase

At the Teal-O-Ween event there will be no food, pets, or latex balloons allowed in order to create a safe environment for children and families with food allergies.

This event is presented by Tampa Food Allergy Support and Education, a local 501(c)(3) organization, and FARE.

Who is Tampa Food Allergy Support and Education?

Like stated above, they are a local 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to provide support, education, and advocacy for those living with food allergies and the families of children living with food allergies. They are able to do so in a couple of ways, one of  which being Teal-O-Ween and their other year-round effort is the Safe Food for Tampa Bay Program. Food allergy parents spend an additional $4,184 per child annually. They created a partnership to launch a new program to help by providing allergy-safe foods to local families in-need. In 2021, they provided more than 1,700 allergen-safe meals to families in Tampa Bay.

They also have a safer schools for children with food allergies initiative. This year their goal with this big initiative is to make schools safe for children with allergies (specifically focusing on preschool and early education). They have developed 3 programs to accomplish this:

1. School Food Allergy Toolkit – Free toolkit that is shared with schools and parents of children with food allergies

2. School Food Allergy Training – Free educational session to school staff/teachers on how to (a) mitigate risk for children with food allergies (b) how to identify a food allergy reaction (c) how to treat a food allergy reaction

3. Free Epinephrine Injectors for Classrooms

Their toolkit has been shared with parents from over 20 different schools in the Tampa Bay area. In addition, they have already presented to multiple preschools and provided epinephrine training to preschool teachers. Parents have written to them letting them know how they feel less anxious about sending their food allergy children to school knowing the teachers have been trained in allergen safety.

Want to get involved?

Website and donation link: https://tbfoodallergy.memberhub.com/w/

Follow them on Facebook

Volunteers and sponsors: They are looking for volunteers and sponsors for our upcoming Teal-O-Ween event. Contact foodallergytampabay@gmail.com