Why We Do It

Mend Hunger meets the needs of the community by ensuring access to safe and trustworthy foods for individuals living with a restricted diet. If you have a chronic condition, a carefully planned diet can make a difference.

Individuals may reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and prevent devastating long-term health problems by following a prescribed diet.

A restricted diet can be the primary management strategy for various medical conditions. One of the most commonly known, celiac disease, impacts 1 in 100 people and requires a life-long diet free of gluten. Food allergies impact 1 in 13 children and 30% of those manage multiple food allergies. For these families, food can be the difference between life and death.

People living with many other medical conditions are often prescribed a restricted diet. There are many types of medical diets used to manage a range of chronic illnesses including irritable bowl syndrome, Crohn's, ulcerative colitis, eosinophilic esophagitis, fructose malabsorption, and more.