A Girl Scout Gold Award Project - Long Island, NY
Allergen-free food, collected together.
Food insecurity is a problem that requires collective action - and for people managing food allergies, intolerances, or Celiac Disease, a "stocked" pantry can still mean nothing safe to eat. AnnaBelle's Pantry runs community food drives for gluten-, dairy-, and nut-free groceries, and gets them into local pantries through Island Harvest.
of gluten-, dairy-, and nut-free food collected and delivered to Island Harvest food pantries.
Who's Behind the Pantry
AnnaBelle & Michael
A father-daughter project that started as one Gold Award and grew into a regional food network.
AnnaBelle
Diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age six, after her pediatrician noted she "was not growing or gaining weight." Celiac is an autoimmune condition that makes gluten harmful to the small intestine - and it makes safe nutrition anything but automatic.
AnnaBelle now leads a Pantry chapter from New England while she's in college. The whole project began as her Girl Scout Gold Award: a cookbook of naturally gluten-free recipes, built around the affordable ingredients you'd actually find in a food pantry.
Michael
Started as the Pantry's Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator and now serves as President, running the drives, partner relationships, and logistics that keep donations moving.
Under his outreach, AnnaBelle's Pantry now delivers to more than 50 food banks across New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the South.
It started in the winter of 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Layoffs and job loss were pushing more families toward food pantries - just as AnnaBelle and Michael noticed something the shelves weren't accounting for: allergy-friendly food costs far more than the food it replaces, and almost none of it was showing up in donation bins. So they started running their own drives, one grocery store table and one library lobby at a time.
"It is only through advocacy and hard work that we can truly make an impact on the world around us."
Gluten Free On a Dime
AnnaBelle's original Gold Award cookbook collects naturally gluten-free recipes built around ingredients you can actually find in a food pantry - no specialty flours required. It lives on its own site, Gluten Free On a Dime.
What To Bring
Foods to Donate
Print this list, or check items off right here before you shop.
Pasta & Prepared Dishes
Baking
Cereal & Oats
Cookies & Crackers
Snacks
Getting It To The Shelf
Partners
Thank you to the companies and organizations who make these drives possible.
Island Harvest
AnnaBelle's Pantry works with Island Harvest to distribute allergen-free and allergy-friendly donations to food pantries across the region. islandharvest.org
Run Your Own
Host a Drive
At your school, public library, or local grocery store.
Email us to schedule
Write to celiacadvocacy@gmail.com with your location and a couple of date options.
Get your materials
We'll send an information sheet of donation suggestions, a sign for your donation box, and an editable flyer to advertise your event.
We spread the word
Your drive gets listed on our Upcoming Events page and shared on Instagram.
Collect donations
Gather contributions for the length of your scheduled drive.
Deliver or arrange pickup
Box or bag what you've collected. Island Harvest is right off Exit 49 of the LIE in Melville, NY - drop off yourself, or we'll arrange a pickup.
The Drive Ledger
Events
At every drive we collect gluten-free, dairy-free, and/or nut-free foods.
Upcoming
- NOV 2025HHH HS East - Government Shutdown Drive
- JAN 2026Half Hollow Hills Community Library
- MAR 2026HHH HS East - Math Honor Society
Past Drives
- SEP 14 2025Dix Hills Stop & Shop, 10-1
- MAR 2025HHH HS East Math Honor Society
- OCT 2024West Hollow Honor Society
- SEP-OCT 2023Harborfields Public Library, Greenlawn, NY
- AUG 19 2023Dix Hills Stop & Shop, 12-3
- JUL-AUG 2023Half Hollow Hills Community Library
- MAR 2023HHH HS East Math Honor Society
- JUL 17 2022Dix Hills Stop & Shop, 10-3
- APR 2022Signal Hill Elementary School
- JAN-FEB 2022HHH Community Library, Melville & Dix Hills branches
- OCT 2021West Hollow Middle School
Want your school, library, or store on this list? See Host a Drive above.