Dear E.A.T Family,
It is bittersweet for us to announce today that E.A.T will be winding down operations as of July 31, 2020.
When we started E.A.T in 2015, there were no food allergy organizations focused on funding breakthrough research, there was a dearth of funding from the NIH, pharmaceutical company involvement was minimal, private investment was low, and the food allergy community was not collaborating.
In five years, this has changed and we believe E.A.T played a significant role. E.A.T also set a new standard by donating over 90% of money raised directly to research and hope that challenges others to do the same. And just as important, E.A.T was a unifying force in bringing our community together.
Further, E.A.T transferred its intellectual property on the $1 Million+ Challenge Model to FARE and they will leverage it to foster innovation moving forward.
We feel good about where we are. This is the right time to wind down. We will donate our excess funds to FASI, the Food Allergy Science Initiative at the Broad Institute. We ask our supporters to consider the same because we will not change this disease state until we understand the basic biology of food allergy. FASI is tackling this head on.
Thank you to our wonderful E.A.T team, corporate partners, non-profit partners, donors, scientific advisors, investment advisors, families and friends. We have accomplished a great deal:
- Funded eleven studies at thirteen institutions in areas including: microbiome, prevention, biomarkers, eosinophilic esophagitis (“EoE”) testing, oral immunotherapy safety, and anaphylaxis mechanisms.
- Created the Challenge Funding Model for food allergy and awarded $1 Million toward innovation to stop anaphylaxis, the life-threatening response to food, venom, and medication.
- Ignited a large grass roots community comprised of college, teen and mission ambassadors, as well as adults all over the country hosting Orange Theory fundraisers.
- Partnered with BBDO Advertising to launch one global and two national public service announcements which combined had over 200 million views:
- Could You E.A.T starring celebrity Chef Ming Tsai, was featured on the TODAY Show, seen on over 21,000 movie screens across the country and won a Silver ADDY award.
- GIVE and GO starring former Hall of Fame NFL player Jerome Bettis which was endorsed and shared nationally by the National Association of School Nurses, shown on billboards and in movie theaters across North America.
- One Word featuring many patient voices along with the hope and promise of E.A.T’s work by leading researchers.
- Served as the featured non-profit in the U.S. Young Lions Competition which resulted in top creative talent developing media, PR, social and marketing campaigns for E.A.T.
- Created a NY Emmy Award-winning PSA, Spell It Out, in partnership with Sammi Mendenhall Creative and in collaboration with AllergyStrong, Sunshine Foundation, Red Sneakers for Oakley and Elijah Alavi Foundation. The PSA helps raise food allergy awareness in black and brown communities disproportionately affected by food allergies.
- Featured in a five-minute segment on the TODAY Show bringing food allergy awareness.
- Hosted food allergy education panels at leading global banks: Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase.
- Collaborated with FARE to design and launch the first Food Allergy Collaborative.
- Partnered with Red Sneakers for Oakley on fundraising and educational events to raise food allergy awareness and critical funds for research.
- Served as the Food Allergy representative organization at Tufts Food Innovation Council which is advocating for greater government investment in food science and research.
- And so much more…
Many members of the E.A.T community will remain engaged in food allergy and are excited about what lies ahead.
For ongoing discussion on social media about the state of food allergy research please join Food Allergy Treatment Talk (FATT) run by Stacey Sturner and / or Research in Eosinophil Associated Diseases (READ) run by Christina Ilardi.
We are grateful to all of those who have supported us and helped E.A.T make such a significant impact on the food allergy industry.
You made this more than just a community, you made it a family.
Sincerely, Elise Bates and the E.A.T Board of Directors:
Tom Hall, Andy Goldberg, Andrew Grieve, Greg Bates, Ashley McGrail, Ellen-Jane Moss
#SnackSafelyAtHome
