Tee Up For Food Allergies

Mission Statement: To raise awareness and educate the community about the impacts of food allergies.
Contact Me: Teeupforfoodallergies@gmail.com
Founder: Gavin Chima

My Story:

I was diagnosed with a peanut allergy when I was just two years old. One night, after eating a Drumstick ice cream cone topped with peanuts, my dad kissed me goodnight not realizing I was allergic. Almost immediately, I started sneezing and my eyelid swelled. My parents rushed me to the ER, but the doctor believed I had an eye infection and sent us home. Something didn’t sit right with my parents, so they followed up with my pediatrician, who ordered further testing. That’s when we discovered I had a severe peanut allergy.

Over the years, I visited many allergists until my family finally found one we trusted, someone who was willing to help take the next step in managing my allergy. At that time, oral desensitization wasn’t very common, but because of how sensitive I was to peanuts, my allergist recommended it. I've now been doing oral desensitization therapy for over 10 years. Every day, I take a small dose of peanut and rest for two hours to avoid raising my heart rate. It is not without risk, as I have had to use an EpiPen once during this journey. Managing my dose around sports and physical activity has been a challenge, but I’ve learned how to balance it. Out of all the sports I’ve played, golf is my favorite and it's part of what inspired me to start Tee Up for Food Allergies.

Why I started Tee Up for Food Allergies:

I started Tee Up for Food Allergies to raise awareness among young kids about the dangers of food allergies. By visiting classrooms and golf camps, I get to share my story and teach children how to recognize the signs and symptoms of allergic reactions. About 33 million people in the United States have food allergies, and yet many people still don't understand the severity of them. As I have become older, I have realized that I can use my platform to inform others. What started off as just educating golf camps and elementary schools developed into a broader goal.

Currently, I have been reaching out to schools, including my own high school, to bring awareness to California Education Code 49414/SB-568. It is a statewide standing order that mandates school districts in our state to obtain undesignated epinephrine delivery systems. Having access to epinephrine delivery systems on campus will be beneficial and life-changing for everyone. Often times food allergies go undiagnosed. Being able to recognize anaphylaxis and being able to treat as soon as symptoms appear can be the difference in saving someone's life.

Topics discussed:

What food allergies are.
How to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction.
When and how to use an EpiPen.
Obtaining access to epinephrine autoinjectors.

We also hand out Food Allergy Toolkits that include:

A food allergy safety flyer.
A safe snack list.
A sample allergy-friendly snack.

Whether they have food allergies themselves or know someone who does, learning how to respond early can make all the difference, and that's what this project is all about!

Get Involved:

To help me spread food allergy awareness, you can:

Join my team and learn how you can speak at your school or with your team.
Donate allergy -safe snacks or supplies for our kits.
Support the mission by sharing this site and following our journey.
Contact me at Teeupforfoodallergies@gmail.com

Safe Snack Food List:

That's It - Fruit Strips/Bars

Skinny Pop Popcorn

Partake Pretzels

Made Good : Granola bars, Marshmallow Crispy Squares, and Muffins

88 Acres : Sunflower Seed Butter

Enjoy Life : Cookies and Chocolate Chips

YumEarth : Gummy Snacks and Lollipops

No Whey!

GoGo Squeez: Applesauce pouches

****Always make sure to read the labels carefully. Product ingredients can change and if you are unsure contact the company directly.

Presenting to a class of 1st Graders at St. Albans Country Day School.

CFAAR Ambassador

I was selected to be an ambassador for the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine in July 2025. This conference was geared towards learning about advancements in food allergy research, treatments, and recognizing barriers to health care access. Attending this conference empowered me to further pursue educating others about food allergies.

Fair Oaks- Orangevale Food Bank

I have spent many hours working on the farm at my local food bank. This year I decided to take it a step further. Realizing that not everyone who is food insecure is able to safely eat all foods, like myself. I reached out to major food allergy friendly companies to try to procure food allergy safe foods. Working with the food bank I was able to procure food donations as well as coupons for non-perishable foods to be used at any grocery store. This project is a work in progress; there are always those who are in need of food.

EpiSafe

After constantly leaving my epinephrine autoinjector at home, I decided I needed a reminder. Working with Supreet Sandhu we created the EpiSafe, an app that reminds you to not leave you autoinjector behind. Functional app is available on the App Store, however we are currently in the process of fixing certain software bugs.

Making an Impact:

Number of classrooms visited: 2

Number of Golf Camps visited: 2

Total Number of Kits Distributed: 94

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