Food Allergy Buddies

12/30/2025

We’re incredibly grateful to Allergic Living for featuring the Mass General Brigham for Children Food Allergy Buddies Program and for helping share the voices of our amazing community. We want to extend a huge thank you to our featured Bigs, our incredible Buddies community, and our supporters and volunteers who make this program possible. Your dedication, empathy, and leadership are what bring this program to life. Thank you for believing in mentorship, confidence, and connection for children with .

The Food Allergy Buddies Program is a remarkable mentorship program in which high schoolers ("Bigs") help young kids ("Littles") learn about managing food allergies – and life. “The Bigs were always helping me to feel confident," says teen mentor Olivia, who has multiple . “Now as a Big, I get to help younger kids feel more confident and to connect.” Learn about kids' experiences in the Mass General Brigham for Children program here: https://www.allergicliving.com/2025/12/26/program-empowers-kids-with-food-allergies-aims-to-go-national/
Our article includes info about taking the Buddies Program national. An ambitious joint effort between Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and Food Allergy Center at MGH.

Kids With Food Allergies Foundation The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team, FAACT

12/01/2025

🌟 Calling All K–12 Families in the Boston Area Food Allergy Community! 🌟
The Food Allergy Buddies Program is excited to invite all returning and new Buddies — students with food allergies and their families — to join our community and take part in our programming throughout the year. We offer about four events annually, and we encourage families to stay engaged and participate in as many as they can!
Up next:
🎉 The Food Allergy Adventure: Build, Discover & Create
📅 December 7, 2025
📍 Museum of Science, Boston
Buddies will enjoy a creative, hands-on experience (such as building 3D models of immune cells, designing tools to promote food allergy awareness) while connecting with others who truly “get it.” After the event ends at 3 PM, families are free to explore the Museum of Science!
👨‍👩‍👧 Parent Participation:
Parents of K–8th grade students: Please plan to stay and participate in our parent session.
Parents of 9th–12th grade students: You are welcome, but not required, to stay.
We also welcome new families to register for the Food Allergy Buddies Program (https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=WDLKDKT4CD4FKY7X) and ask all attendees to RSVP for this event (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeCLeSlcEx-MH8rzJ4Gh0pkq5WC-N5TVUgk4wjdH8Th1U5TDQ/viewform).
📧 Questions? FoodAllergyBuddies@mgh.harvard.edu

We look forward to seeing you at this event — and at all of our upcoming programs throughout the year!

Museum of Science, Boston Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) Mass General Brigham for ChildrenFood Allergy Center at MGH

10/27/2025

Check out minutes 30-40 for a conversation about Mass General Brigham for Children Program. We are so greatful to have the opportunity to share about our experience with Dr. Saff and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Podcast!

Advising our families with food allergies can be challenging. Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, joins us to talk about resources we can use to help families introduce new foods and work with schools to help advocate for our patients. https://ow.ly/6pzH50XfRmF

09/15/2025

The Mass General Brigham for Children Food Allergy Buddies is opening a new enrollment period for families in the Boston area managing food allergies. 💙
This free mentorship program supports children, grades K–12 through:
✔️ Friendship & community
✔️ Confidence in allergy management
✔️ Leadership & role-model skills
✔️ Fun, family-friendly events 🎉

📌 Roles for every age:
👩‍🎓 High school – Mentor & lead
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Middle school – Grow as role models
👶 Elementary – Build confidence & connections

✨ 2025/2026 events include:
🚀 October 12 Kickoff Event
🧪 December 7 Museum of Science, Boston exhibit-making
⛸️ March 7 Ice skating
🔍 May 17 Scavenger hunt at the Museum of Science

👉 Learn more & register today:
Program Website: https://www.massgeneral.org/children/food-allergies/food-allergy-community
Registration Link: https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=WDLKDKT4CD4FKY7X
Help your child connect, thrive, and feel supported this school year! 💫

The Food Allergy Center at Mass General for Children is excited to be launching the Food Allergy Buddies Program in January 2020! The mentorship program will group high-school-age children (Bigs) with elementary-school-age (Littles) and middle-school-age children (Middles) who have a food allergy th...

06/03/2025

What an amazing day with our Mass General for Children Food Allergy Buddies Community! 💙

A huge THANK YOU to our Littles, Middles, and Bigs—you brought the fun, the laughter, and the heart. Your energy and teamwork made this gathering truly special.

We’re also incredibly grateful to the Museum of Science, Boston for being such amazing collaborators, educators, and welcoming hosts. Your support helped create a memorable and inclusive experience for all.

Special shoutout to our dedicated staff who volunteered their time and talents—we couldn’t do this without you! And of course, none of this would be possible without our generous donors and our partner and supporter, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)—thank you for helping us keep this program thriving!

Until next time, Buddies! 🌟
https://www.massgeneral.org/children/food-allergies/food-allergy-community

05/28/2025

🚀 Ready to Rise! 🚀
Join the Mass General for ChildrenFood Allergy Buddies Program for an epic afternoon of curiosity, confidence, and connection at the Museum of Science, Boston! On Sunday, June 1st, our Bigs and Middles will take the lead in a dynamic scavenger hunt—guiding Littles through the exhibits and helping everyone rise to new responsibilities and challenges.
🗓 WHEN:
Bigs & Middles: 12:30–3:30 PM
Littles: 1:00–3:30 PM
📍 WHERE:
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, MA 02114
🎟 All attendees (Bigs, Middles & Littles) receive a free museum ticket! Littles & Middles also get one for their parent or caregiver.
🔗 RSVP to save your spot: https://forms.gle/S6iVA6VaWWLNojje9
Not yet signed up for the Buddies Program? It’s not too late!
⭐ Bigs (grades 9–12, college): https://bit.ly/BuddiesBigs
⭐ Middles (grades 6–8): https://bit.ly/BuddiesMiddles
⭐ Littles (grades K–5): https://bit.ly/BuddiesLittles
Thank you to our partner, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and our local collaboratation with Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter!
Let’s rise together—see you at the Museum! 🌟🔬 https://www.massgeneral.org/children/food-allergies/food-allergy-community

05/14/2025

🚀 Ready to Rise! 🚀
Join the Mass General for Children Food Allergy Buddies Program for an epic afternoon of curiosity, confidence, and connection at the Museum of Science, Boston! On Sunday, June 1st, our Bigs and Middles will take the lead in a dynamic scavenger hunt—guiding Littles through the exhibits and helping everyone rise to new responsibilities and challenges.
🗓 WHEN:
Bigs & Middles: 12:30–3:30 PM
Littles: 1:00–3:30 PM
📍 WHERE:
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, MA 02114
🎟 All attendees (Bigs, Middles & Littles) receive a free museum ticket! Littles & Middles also get one for their parent or caregiver.
🔗 RSVP to save your spot: https://forms.gle/S6iVA6VaWWLNojje9
Not yet signed up for the Buddies Program? It’s not too late!
⭐ Bigs (grades 9–12, college): https://bit.ly/BuddiesBigs
⭐ Middles (grades 6–8): https://bit.ly/BuddiesMiddles
⭐ Littles (grades K–5): https://bit.ly/BuddiesLittles
Thank you to our partner, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and our local collaboratation with Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter!
Let’s rise together—see you at the Museum! 🌟🔬 https://www.massgeneral.org/children/food-allergies/food-allergy-community

02/26/2025

📢 Join Us for Our Next Mass General for Children Food Allergy Buddies Event! ⛸️

We are thrilled to announce our third event of the 2024-2025 year! 🎉 On March 15th, we’ll be hitting the ice at Veterans Memorial Rink in Somerville for a fun and supportive morning of ice skating, teamwork, and bravery!

Buddies will have the chance to skate through real-life food allergy-related scenarios, building confidence in a supportive and encouraging environment. Just like learning to skate, navigating food allergies is a skill—we’ll tackle both together!

🗓 Event Details:
📍 Veterans Memorial Rink, Somerville, MA
🕥 March 15th | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
👧 Littles (Grades K-5) | 🧒 Middles (Grades 6-8) | 👦 Bigs (Grades 9-12)
Bigs and Middles | Arrive at 9:45
Littles | Arrive at 10:15
❄️ Dress warm & don’t forget your helmet!

💙 Be part of our supportive community & sign up today! Scan the QR codes in the flyer for your age group or email foodallergybuddies@mgh.harvard.edu for more info.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)

12/16/2024

Yesterday, we had the privilege of hosting the Mass General for Children Food Allergy Buddies, Design an Exhibit Experience at the Museum of Science, Boston! It was inspirational to hear our Food Allergy Buddies Teams present their exhibit ideas to eachother, their parents, and our community! Thank you to the amazing team at the Museum of Science for hosting us and partnering for such an incredible event! Shout out to our volunteers, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, New England Chapter. If not already registered for the Buddies program, please see our webpage for more information: https://www.massgeneral.org/children/food-allergies/food-allergy-community.

11/20/2024

After a successful Halloween event last month, the Mass General for Children Food Allergy Buddies Program is excited for the second event of the 2024-2025 year! We will be at the Museum of Science, Boston on Sunday, December 15th for our Make a Museum Exhibit Event. During the event, under the direction of MOS staff, Buddies will work with their group to conduct research and create an exhibit to teach others about . All returning and new Buddies are welcome. Register here: https://forms.gle/yaVa6a3qyCG6U2kx9 if you haven't already done so. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join the Food Allergy Buddies Program on December 15th to make exhibits at the Museum of Science!!! The expert museum staff will guide Buddies through the basics of designing a museum exhibit and then Buddies will have the opportunity to work with their teams to design their very own exhibits on foo...

10/24/2024

The Mass General for Children Food Allergy Buddies Program is looking forward to our Halloween-themed Orientation event this Sunday, October 27th at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline! Please see below for important details regarding the event.

🎃 This will be a NO FOOD event! Please eat before the event.
🎃Wear your Halloween costume for the Costume Parade
🎃 Parents of Littles & Middles will stay for the event. Parents of Bigs are welcome but are not required to stay
🎃 Bigs and Middles should plan to arrive at 11:15am, Littles should plan to arrive at 12:00pm
🎃 Please keep an eye out for emails with important updates from foodallergybuddies@mgh.harvard.edu (check your spam folder)
🎃 Please RSVP here for the event here, if you haven't already!

Help us kick off the 2024-2025 Food Allergy Buddies Program with our Orientation held at Larz Anderson Park on Sunday October 27th from 12-3 PM. Look forward to an afternoon filled with games, pumpkin and poster decorating and bonding with fellow food allergy buddies. Buddies are encouraged to come....