Hi,

I've been looking for people to meet up with in the Philly area if anyone is interested.

Ken Ritter

HI Ken,
I live outside of Philly in Media. I was looking for a support group. Do you know of any? I've been gluten-free for about 12 HARD weeks. Actually the eating program isn't that bad it's finding all the 'hidden' poisons in the darn labels....HOw long have you been dx'd?
I sometimes have trouble getting my posts up on the forum so my email address is judy@jl-studio.com if you want to do emails.
Let me know if I can be of any help to you.
Oh, I just thought...go to www.martindalesnaturalfoods.com and see the event they are hosting on Oct 25th Jax Lowell of the The gluten-free Bible is the speaker and they are having alot of the gluten-free vendors there to have a 'testing' .
Judy

I live just outside of Philly in NJ and I'm a grad student at Drexel in Philly. Let me know if you organize a get-together or if you want help in organizing one

- Lauren

Hi!
I have been a gluten-free since 1995. I wish someone would form a group here in Philly. If a group could be organized, that would be great! The city is a big place, there has to be more of us out there. If anyone needs advise, please feel free to contact me.
Vicki

HI to Ken, Lauren, & Vicki,

Thanks for your emails. I'd also be interested in a local support group and I think that there might be a good possibility that one might form as the resut of the first Martindale's health food store meeting of Celiac's. I'd put a posting on to Ken telling him about it but not sure if you all saw it.

Jax Lowell, author of the gluten free bible was an informative and fun speaker. There were about 40 + people there and lots of gluten-free foods to sample. It was a wonderful evening. There were all ages including a 12 year old girl who spoke a few moments about how to be 'pro-active'....she talked about how she was getting gluten-free foods in the school cafeteria and was working on a designated 'frier' for the french fries. Now there's a neat gal....

When we were signing in for the 2 HUGE free drawing baskets of gluten-free foods, they asked if you were interested in helping to form a celiac disease support group.It seemed tha most people attending all seemed to interested in the idea. I'll keep you posted if you'd like.

Martindale's is on Baltimore Pike in Springfield right by the shopping center.
Not sure where the group would meet. Last nite it was in a church 2 blocks from the store. I just went on line to make sure of the web address and saw that they are meeting again on Feb 15th. Not sure about this speaker but it's info for you to decide.......www.martindalesnutrition.com

Seems most of you are more in the Philly area so keep me posted if you hear of any other support groups around. I'll keep ck'n this forum. I haven't been in this one before.
Judy

There is a Philadelphia Celiac Support group. Below's a link to there web site. Karen Dalrymple (215-757-1233) is the chairman and she's GREAT!

The website hasn't been updated for a long time, but they do have regular meetings at Abington Hospital.

http://www.philaceliacgroup.netfirms.com/

I knew that Philly had a good group, but they always meet on evenings that I have class!

I'd be interested in informal meetings too, so keep me updated

- Lauren

WOW right under my nose. Thanks so much for posting this. Might be closer for some of the others on the forum. I did go one the web site and was looking at the resturants but that link wasn't working but thanks for the heads up that it hadn't been updated for awhile. Do you belong to the group or attend the meetings?
Judy

Yes, we joined the group a year ago and went to one meeting, but we couldn't make the meeting last week. The meeting that we went to was very well run and informative and a great place to buy food and find out about vendors (like the gluten free cookie jar!)

Thanks Sean,
Glad you liked the meeting.
When I went on the Web site it said meetings were on Fri nites. Are they monthly and do they have feed vendors each time.
About how many people attended?
Thanks
Judy

The meetings are only twice a year.... One in October and one in March on the third Friday of the month. I would guess there were a hundred people there, but Karen would know better than I... I would give her a call. I think they have the food vendors at each of the two meetings. I hope so... 'cause getting Sterk's to ship anything is NOT easy!

[Thanks Sean
Happen to call Karen this am. What a nice lady.
Calling me back tonight.
Thanks for the info.
Only 2 times a year....ok.
That's not alot but will ask her tonight.
Judy

There are a handful of celiacs down here in Delaware. Due to the low numbers, keeping a group going has always been problematic. Currently, there has been a group meeting on the first Sunday of the month at the Christiana Hospital in Stanton, DE (off I-95 between Wilmington and Newark and close the Christiana Mall). There is a Yahoo group associated with the support group. The Yahoo group name is "gluten-free". Meeting notices are posted there.

I had always heard good things about the Phila group. However, the one time I called for info, I was told the meeting was full. Several years ago, when I first went gluten-free, I tried going to the South Jersey group meetings. They had an excellent group and group leader. She had lots of good speakers and the meetings were regularly scheduled. The only catch obviously was the hour drive each way to Cherry Hill.

Chuck

[quote=codetalker,Nov 4 2005, 07:49 AM]
There are a handful of celiacs down here in Delaware. Due to the low numbers, keeping a group going has always been problematic. Currently, there has been a group meeting on the first Sunday of the month at the Christiana Hospital in Stanton, DE (off I-95 between Wilmington and Newark and close the Christiana Mall). There is a Yahoo group associated with the support group. The Yahoo group name is "gluten-free". Meeting notices are posted there.

I had always heard good things about the Phila group. However, the one time I called for info, I was told the meeting was full. Several years ago, when I first went gluten-free, I tried going to the South Jersey group meetings. They had an excellent group and group leader. She had lots of good speakers and the meetings were regularly scheduled. The only catch obviously was the hour drive each way to Cherry Hill.

Chuck


Chuck,
Thanks so much for all the info I will try to ck some out. I think that they are trying to start a group resulting from the Martindales health food store sponcered meeting where Jax Lowell spoke...Let's keep ck'ing the website and watch for announcements. Don't know if that would be closer for you....right up 95 and off the blue Route.
Thanks again. Judy

I'm near Phila.,Ken. Whatdya like to do? Or who ya lookin' for? I'm a lil dysfunctional right now,but I'm still doin' OK. Do you like Philly cheese steaks?On a gluten free roll I guess. Same here.And Philly Pretzels when you can find 'em? Me too;love'em but I can hardly stomach the bread there made out of,but I still love 'em,just I don't eat 'em anymore.I like chocolate-and it's gluten free,but I never see men eat much of it.I made a small batch of Choc. truffles from Martha Stewart's recipe in one of her magazines,they're deep,decadent,and coated with bitter cocoa powder,so bitter my mom says they make her gag,but whatever-I share everything I make with my mom-she's a, uh,comrade.

hello friends,

I have been away for the past few months. I was in the Camp Hill area and they have a group that meet every month accept the Holidays. I want to see a group get started that meets monthy where we share our recipes and learn how to deal with this illness. If this is something you guys would like to see let me know.

Ken Ritter
ken.ritter@comcast.net

I'm in the ne philly area and wish they had at least a weekly meeting just to keep up with the diet!
Karen

Karen - LOL!!! I have a 17 year old that was diagnosed in 1989 with celiac disease - she keeps me on my diet!!! But a support group would be nice. I have only been on a gluten-free diet since early 2005. Still hard not to cheat. I miss bagels...

Ken - We live in Phoenixville - so it's a trek to Philly. But, it would be worth the effort for a monthly meeting. What's your thoughts about allowing teens to come?

I'm in Bucks County - would love to attend a monthly meeting. Please post/PM me when you get started.

I live right outside of Philadelphia, near Conshohocken. I would love to meet up as well. Keep me posted!

Ken-did you by chance go to Abington HS? Your name sounds familiar to me. Nikkie

Hey all,
Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and wish all a healthy new year!!! Well i too would like to meet more people. I did go to the phila celiac support group they do have the 2 major meetings with the vendors havent gone to them but hear they are fabulous...lookin forward to teh one in march...however they do have a monthly meeting thats more informal at a library in langhorn...if ya call Karen she will direct ya but if ya just let me know if ya want the info...its not infront of me right now sorry but i promise i will get it to ya....it was nice to hear other poeple's stories and situtations and most of all feelings...i was just diagnosed in the fall so i am still learning and am interested in how other people are coping or even what they are eating...take care everyone Jennifer from Philly

Would love to know when the meetings in Langhorne are.....I'm ten minutes from there.

Like i promised i would get the phila support group info...Pennwood library Rt 413 and Flowers ave
Langhorn , Pa 19047 in the library conference room at 7:00 pm on the FIRST wednesday of February, April, May and June

let me know if ya need directions you can also get infor from Karen at 2157 7571233 hope to see ya in february

I am from the Harrisburg area, and besides my two celiac friends I really don't know anyone else. If anyone is ever going to get together and go out to eat down towards the Philly area I am willing to travel to dine with people who understand. I think we should do a road trip to Doylestown for the gluten-free pizza.

If you roadtrip to Doylestown PM me. Jules is great! They also sell gluten-free dessert items at the counter (prepackaged stuff - so their extra safe!)

I'd meet you there.

Thanks, I will let you know when we are thinking of heading out. Right now things are hectic with work and by the weather this morning it looks like winter has arrived. I will remember that though.

Echoing that - we live about 20 mins away from Jules. It was great. I did take out so didn't get the gluten free treats! I'll have to dine in next time!

Hi! I live in the Malvern/West Chester area and was diagnosed last November along with my 16 year old son who is much sicker and having a lot more adaptation problems than I am. Is there really gluten-free pizza commercially available anywhere? Doylestown is quite a hike for us.

Mel

Hey I live outside of Philadelphia in the suburbs about 20 miles north. Ive been doing the diet for about 2 weeks now and doing pretty well. Id be interested in having some sort of meeting. My uncle does the diet and a girl I work with does too. I know she would probably be interested too.



http://becomingglutenfree.blogspot.com/

I'm in Limerick, kinda halfway between KoP and Pottstown. Self dx'd about 2 weeks ago. Anyone know of a support group out this way? I don't mind driving longer distances, but would definitely appreciate company on the way there and back, so if anyone in the local area is interested in carpooling, let me know. I'd also be more likely to actually make it to meetings if there's someone else along. I don't mind driving out to the Harrisburg area if something's going on, since Mom lives in Camp Hill and she has crash space.

There are a few Harrisburg celiacs on here, we would love to have a gathering one day