Special Wegmans Allergen-Free Food Drive for Sean McDermott

McDermott took a break from overseeing the Bills’ offseason program to promote a food drive in which customers can purchase and donate allergen- and gluten-free items to food banks throughout Western New York, including including FeedMore in Buffalo.

This cause touches Sean and Jamie McDermott’s family every day: their two oldest children, daughter Maddie and son Gavin, were diagnosed with food allergies at a young age.

“I can tell you that from a conscience standpoint, I was very naive and, in some ways, ignorant about this disease until I became a parent,” Sean McDermott said. “For some, it’s just a rash. For others, it can be life-threatening and affect their daily lives. It is our responsibility to enable these people, young and old, to normalize their lives as best we can.”

McDermott said Maddie is allergic to nuts, which include walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios and cashews, as well as peanuts, and that Gavin’s sesame allergy includes a range of crackers, chips and snacks.

McDermott’s products include flaxseed and chai, but the family takes daily steps to stay safe, including placing nut products in the kitchen cabinets away from those that don’t contain nuts. allergens.

McDermott said Maddie and Gavin are at an age where they can “manage themselves, but the challenge is you never really know (what’s in a product).

“If you’re just trying to go through your normal day, you have to read everything you eat to see what’s in it or you’re dining at someone else’s house, you have to ask yourself, ‘Is this That this was cooked according to this type of food that I’m allergic to or this ingredient,” McDermott said. “You go to a restaurant and they cook in peanut oil and all of a sudden you can’t eat something like a chicken sandwich because they use peanut oil instead of olive oil.”

Other products offered by Wegmans include gluten-free cookies, brown rice crackers and coconut flour.

“It’s a true partnership,” McDermott said of Wegmans. “When you have a resource in your community that is willing to partner, it certainly means a lot to me and my family, as well as a lot of families out there.” »