2023 Award Recipient
SydneyHankin
Project Securing Safe Food
Project Securing Safe Food
Growing up with food allergies and food anxiety, Sydney knew what a struggle it is to find safe food options at the grocery store. She was also aware that it is much more difficult for someone with food allergies to find what they need at a food pantry. In her service on the teen advisory group of a leading allergy nonprofit, Sydney joined together with Rachel Brooks and nine other passionate teens, kickstarting Securing Safe Food, an organization that creates access to allergen-free food for families relying on food banks and pantries as a key source of groceries.
The project has facilitated donations of over 100,000 items to partner pantries. Today, Securing Safe Food is the geographically largest and only multi-state organization equipping food pantries with allergen-free foods. Several hospital allergy and asthma clinics also partner with the organization, referring allergic patients to a local, project-affiliated food pantry to ensure access to free allergen-free food.
Securing Safe Food’s mission is to help fight food insecurity among people with food allergies by making allergen-free foods more accessible at food pantries. Led by Sydney and a friend, the organization partners with allergy-friendly food companies to ship allergen- and gluten-free products to more than 30 food pantries in eight states across the United States.
