Kids Selling Gluten!

[Jestgar]

I am totally supportive of fundraising. I think it's important for kids to realise that things have to be paid for somehow and I think it's important for a community to be supportive of it's local school and community groups.

Me too, car washes, rummage sales at the school, the October Carnival..., - all group activities, all involving parents. No little salesmen.

[melikamaui]

When I was a kid my mom took me to all the neighbors we knew and also had me call family. But my mom was with me, it was small town and we knew those people on our street. We just moved in a little more than a month ago, I'm in a big city and these kdis were without any adults at all! What if we were kidknappers or child molesters or something?!? The kids were between 5 and 8 years old. I doubt they would pay attention (or understand?) to a "no solicitation" sign. Plus we rent this house so we would have to ask the landlord for permission to put one up.

I don't think you need your landlord's permission to put up a sign. I have been a renter for 20 years and have never asked permission for something like that. We have a sign on our front door and my landlord has never even mentioned it. But I agree that kids won't pay attention to any sign. It's more for adults.

[lovegrov]

I have a different view. I ALWAYS buy something from the first kid who comes to our door for a specific sale. Gluten or no gluten. Our kids used to sell stuff and folks who didn't need it bought to support the schools, sports teams, Girl Scouts, or whatever, so I do the same now.

richard

[domesticactivist]

It's strange that the same kids are coming back to your door and fighting with you. Where are their parents/leaders? Our kids are trained to be very polite, take no for an answer, and to only ask people once.

On your end, remember the kids aren't trying to make you eat it, they are participating in a mandatory fundraiser for the activities they are in. As an involved parent, I can tell you that getting out of these things or getting them modified is a huge and expensive hassle!!! If you want to support the kids in their fundraising, you can give them money and donate the "food" they are selling back to their club. Our Camp Fire club gives people the option of sending it to troops serving overseas or to the local food bank.

If you think being offered something you can't have sucks... Try being the little kid who can't eat it and has to sell it! Last year we had already ordered the candy our kids had to sell for Camp Fire (at their goal level, which was way over the minimum), when we found out we had to go gluten free. By the time the kids were in the stores selling we were already grain-free, sugar-free, super aware of CC, and only eating homemade SOUP!!!

My kids remembered the candy from the previous year and REALLY wanted to be able to have the treat. It sucked to have to stand out there for hours and hours at a time selling the stuff they couldn't have. It especially sucked when people asked them their favorite, asked them to describe the candy, asked if they'd tried it, or gave them a box to share with their friends!

My daughter did end up selling enough to earn her free week at camp (out in the cold about 6 hours a week for a month), and my son sold his "fair share" (sister sold the rest that we'd ordered for him). This process was not without many tears, and I'm not looking forward to it this year. Sigh.

[domesticactivist]

Do they not have dues? $25 per kid seems kind of high if they are paying dues on top of that. What does the money raised go towards? I would consider buying a coupon book for grocery store as long it it had soem coupons I could use in it. But instead I get the kids with the boxes of Kripsy Creme donuts and candy bars comign to my door.

For us it's $225 per person to the council to buy out of participating in the fundraisers!!! We also pay annual registration fees and registration fees for some of the events. Plus we have to buy the uniforms, curriculum, emblems, etc. Individual clubs decide how to handle any additional dues.

Participating in the fundraisers helps pay for the program development, trips for the whole council to camp, council staff, etc, with a percentage going back to the individual club to help pay for the stuff we buy and to fund our service projects and special outings.

As a low-income family with two kids in the program, plus my serving as a leader, we just can't afford to write a check and get out of fundraising. I did get an alternate fundraiser going in our area (it's a run where people sponsor laps) and other people have carried it on. But the kids just don't have the same earning power with it if they don't have a social network that can afford to sponsor them. We participate in both options for this reason.

[Skylark]

Do you happen to know if the cub scout popcorn has gluten, dairy or soy? I see the cub scouts selling popcorn outside my grocery stores. That's the only thing I have thought *maybe* I could buy but I don't want to approach them and give them false hope if I can't eat any of the popcorn. I usually try to enter the store at the entrance farthest away and pretend I don't hear them when they yell to me to ask if I want to buy anything.

The microwave popcorn flavors look to be gluten-free and some are soy-free, but they all list dairy. It looks like the "natural flavors" must have a little dairy. Click on the item and then hit the "nutrition information" tab to see ingredients.

Open Original Shared Link

If you really want to support a kid you know personally, it looks like there is plain old bulk popping corn they might be able to order for you.

Open Original Shared Link

If you can afford it, another option for girl or boy scouts is to just give them a few dollars for the troop.

[GlutenFreeManna]

If I had some way of knowing for sure these kids were sellign for a legit cause I might consider contributing. However I tend to be suspiscious of kids carrying boxes of Krispy Creme donuts or candy bars that could have been bought at the 7-11 3 blocks away. We don't really have money to buy expensive stuff just to donate. I would rather give to kids I know or to a specific organization that I know will handle the money well. I was just frustrated that the kids keep coming back and that if they ARE selling for a school-related fundraiser all the items are gluten laden and unhealthy junk. Thanks for the links about the popcorn. I looked and couldn't find any that didn't have dairy so I guess I will just keep entering the stores on the far side away from the cub scouts so I don't have to look into their little faces begging me to buy something.

[domesticactivist]

Legit organizations do not send kids out door to door without adults, identification, information about the organizations. They also train kids to be polite and take no for an answer. You are right to be suspicious of kids with boxes of krispy cremes who continually come back to your house.

[Monklady123]

Omg I hate these fundraising things. Hate them. Fortunately I never have to buy from any kid who comes to my door because I have kids right on my block who attend our elementary school, our middle school, and our high school. So I buy from them and then I tell everyone else "oh I'm sorry but I've already bought my *insert whatever here* for this year."

The very best fundraiser that my kids every participated in -- high school -- was the "rent a pair of kids" day. They went in twos just in our neighborhood on a Saturday and were put to work. Just about everyone who hired them ended up paying them more than the agreed hourly rate and we made quite a bit of money.

I HATE selling door-to-door!

[sariesue]

If you don't want to buy what they have to offer you could just make a donation to the organization. I did band in High school and we had a compeitition we travelled to every year. It was 600$ to go and included all meals, the competition, the bus, hotel, and a few extras like theme park admission. We had several fundraisers every year, the money you raised defrayed the cost of your trip. If I fundraiser 300$ than I only had to pay 200$. If we had people who would like to donate and NOT purchase from the fundraiser they would write a check to MYTOWN Band or MYTOWN High School and in the memo write fundraiser-student's name. Or just write donation. The fundraisers were important because not everyone can afford to pay the 600$ for the trip and they could fundraise the fee instead.

If your child'd organization is looking for new fundraising ideas a coin collection would work. You could make a booth in front of a grocery story and collect change for your organization. I did coin collections a lot in college for Habitat for Humanity, although we usually went door to door in the dorms.

All that aside, if someone comes to your door and asks you to buy something you can't or don't eat/want just say "No thanks, good luck" and shut your door. Explaining that you have an allergy and can't eat what they are selling to a kid is unnecessary when saying no works just as well.

[cougie23]

That's terrible to bribe children with a party!!! An end of year celebration should be for everyone to attend, it shouldn't have conditions put on it like grades (this puts pressure on kids who find learning difficult) or SALES! That is seriously messed up!

Yes it is! when I was in first thru sixth grade we were forced to sell campfire girl cookies! My Mother was assisstant leader....It was the most embarressing demeaning thing!!! I was a painfully shylittle second grader and it was not only really scary going up to strangers doors but I allways felt bad that I was impossing on people....I mean IF THEY WANTED COOKIES THEY"D GO TO THE STORE!!! they certainly didn't want them from me...and If they did it was because I was small and cute! NOT because they had any intrest in cookies!!!the hummiliating thing was they other girls didn't have a problem with it...every box they sold just made me feel inadiquate!!! It really hurt my self esteme..I felt emberresed that my mother had such a LOSER for a daughter!!! You people have no idea what goes through a 7 yr. olds head in these situations...granted I'm NOT advocating being a SUCKER and buying these products. That only encourages all this! Put tape on your doorbell with an out of order sign (kids understand "out of order")...and another BIG sign on the door,saying NO!!! WE DON"T WANT ANY>>>GO AWAY OR I"LL CALL THE POLICE!!!

You won't LOL...BUT THEY WON"T KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR!!! Who the f@#%k cares if thier PARENTS don't like it THEY'RE IMPOSSING ON YOU!!! just put in smaller letters "this is a cookie free house...(if you feel guilty that is) They don't take it personaly(its like trick or treating on halloween with the porch light off...they'll just run off to the next house)!!! Trust me its proven advice!

The funny thing was ...in '72 when I was 7 there was alot of talk about NOT talking to strangers and people being murdered (manson) and stuff like that!!We wre told (as a group of little girls) not to trust anyone..NEVER go into anyones house (even little old ladys could be seriel killers or have deviant SONS lurking in the corner ready to rape and kill!!! LOL... I was just terrified the door would open up and someone would grab me..kill me before anyone could stop them and throw my body back outside laughing...then get into some big shootout before the police killed them...all because I was selling campfire cookies!!! I had a BIG imagination at 7!!! sometimes I could get out of it by faking being sick...or throwing the worlds bigest tauntram...yeah I'd get grounded..but it was better than being MURDERED...see you have NO Idea the stress this puts on kids!!! LOL

[cougie23]

If you don't want to buy what they have to offer you could just make a donation to the organization. I did band in High school and we had a compeitition we travelled to every year. It was 600$ to go and included all meals, the competition, the bus, hotel, and a few extras like theme park admission. We had several fundraisers every year, the money you raised defrayed the cost of your trip. If I fundraiser 300$ than I only had to pay 200$. If we had people who would like to donate and NOT purchase from the fundraiser they would write a check to MYTOWN Band or MYTOWN High School and in the memo write fundraiser-student's name. Or just write donation. The fundraisers were important because not everyone can afford to pay the 600$ for the trip and they could fundraise the fee instead.

If your child'd organization is looking for new fundraising ideas a coin collection would work. You could make a booth in front of a grocery story and collect change for your organization. I did coin collections a lot in college for Habitat for Humanity, although we usually went door to door in the dorms.

All that aside, if someone comes to your door and asks you to buy something you can't or don't eat/want just say "No thanks, good luck" and shut your door. Explaining that you have an allergy and can't eat what they are selling to a kid is unnecessary when saying no works just as well.

Good answer...totally agree..good souloution!!!

[Poppi]

I had to explain to my 6 year old son this weekend that he might be the only kid in his class not getting pizza on Fridays. He knows that gluten makes him feel bad and I promised that we would go to DQ for a Sundae after school on every pizza day but I know it'll still sting when they are handing out pizza and they skip his desk. I hate school fundraisers and I especially hate them when they involve food because it is ALWAYS gluten food.

[ravenwoodglass]

I had to explain to my 6 year old son this weekend that he might be the only kid in his class not getting pizza on Fridays. He knows that gluten makes him feel bad and I promised that we would go to DQ for a Sundae after school on every pizza day but I know it'll still sting when they are handing out pizza and they skip his desk. I hate school fundraisers and I especially hate them when they involve food because it is ALWAYS gluten food.

Can you find the Kinnickinnick crusts where you are? They come 4 to a box and you could send a slice with him to school if he tolerates the dairy and tomatoes or with whatever topping he likes.

You could get 16 total squares out of a box of 4 if he can't eat a whole pan size pizza by himself.

[Poppi]

Can you find the Kinnickinnick crusts where you are? They come 4 to a box and you could send a slice with him to school if he tolerates the dairy and tomatoes or with whatever topping he likes.

You could get 16 total squares out of a box of 4 if he can't eat a whole pan size pizza by himself.

I love the Kinnikinnick crusts and always have a box in the freezer. I tried to serve it to him a couple times but he didn't like it. The crust is a bit sweet which can be weird.

I think I'll try again now that it's been several months since he last had gluten pizza crust.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I love the Kinnikinnick crusts and always have a box in the freezer. I tried to serve it to him a couple times but he didn't like it. The crust is a bit sweet which can be weird.

I think I'll try again now that it's been several months since he last had gluten pizza crust.

I didn't care for the kinnikinnick crusts either. They just have no flavor to me.

Udi's also makes crusts. I have read on a few blogs where people cut the Udi's crusts into several pieces to make a gluten-free pizza "lunchable" option for sending to school. Or if you have found a good homemade crust recipe you can always bake, cut into pieces and freeze for those days when he needs a slice of gluten-free pizza. Maybe the teacher will let him heat it in the microwave in the teacher's lounge? You can even buy microwavable containers that are shaped like a slice of pizza so that he doesn't have to worry as much about what else has been in the microwave just prior.

[Poppi]

I didn't care for the kinnikinnick crusts either. They just have no flavor to me.

Udi's also makes crusts. I have read on a few blogs where people cut the Udi's crusts into several pieces to make a gluten-free pizza "lunchable" option for sending to school. Or if you have found a good homemade crust recipe you can always bake, cut into pieces and freeze for those days when he needs a slice of gluten-free pizza. Maybe the teacher will let him heat it in the microwave in the teacher's lounge? You can even buy microwavable containers that are shaped like a slice of pizza so that he doesn't have to worry as much about what else has been in the microwave just prior.

I haven't been able to bring myself to spend $7 on one smallish pizza crust so I haven't tried the Udi's one yet. I think I'll give it a shot for him though.

He's not formally been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance but we noticed a shocking improvement in his behaviour when the whole house went gluten free in June. He had been referred for assessment and counselling through the school system last year for rage and impulse control issues. He would lose his temper over the smallest thing and I'd wind up having to go remove him from the school because he'd be yelling and screaming at everyone. Then he'd hold on to that grudge and be angry for days or even weeks. It was making life really difficult. So we are keeping him gluten free. I thought about trying out the pizza and seeing what happens but we had to commit for 3 months at a time and if it went badly I would be out a bunch of money for pizza he couldn't eat.

[jerseyangel]

I haven't been able to bring myself to spend $7 on one smallish pizza crust so I haven't tried the Udi's one yet. I think I'll give it a shot for him though.

Get a box of Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Crust Mix--you can make up the whole box and divide it into single sized pizza crusts, wrap in plastic, and freeze. (I get 3 full sized crusts out of a box) It's our favorite crust, and my husband doesn't have to eat gluten-free.

[love2travel]

Kinnikinnick is my least favourite commercial crust BUT we found that grilling the pizza really improved the flavour and texture and added the desirable char. I do like Udi's crusts more (but don't love them) as the flavour is more neutral but of course, nothing beats homemade. That is, if you have the time and inclination to do it. As I do not have kids nor do I work it is easier for me to do than many folks.

My point is, try grilling the pizza regardless of the crust.

[weluvgators]

I had to explain to my 6 year old son this weekend that he might be the only kid in his class not getting pizza on Fridays. He knows that gluten makes him feel bad and I promised that we would go to DQ for a Sundae after school on every pizza day but I know it'll still sting when they are handing out pizza and they skip his desk. I hate school fundraisers and I especially hate them when they involve food because it is ALWAYS gluten food.

I am sorry to hear of this happening to your child, and I hope that it goes well for him. My children have been prescribed a gluten free classroom because they could not tolerate being in the classroom with the entire class eating gluten food (they had horrid skin reactions from the exposures, but they did take a few weeks to start surfacing). I would be extra mindful of how he is feeling on those days - it is a large dose of environmental gluten that he is subjected to in these conditions. Hopefully, he isn't nearly as sensitive as my family!

Now, there are times when my children do need to scramble for a "comparable" snack, although it is happening with much less frequency now that we are getting into more advanced grades and have better defined instructions from our medical team. We keep a small tupperware in their classroom that they can access at these times. It is filled with their favorite shelf stable items - cookies, candy, chocolate milk, juice, fruit/nut/rice bars, etc. Whenever they are in these situations of everyone eating stuff that they cannot, they have free access to get whatever they want from their boxes. It has helped them tremendously, as it gives them something to do instead of just sitting there watching everyone else (it also helps that my kids don't even want the pizza as they know how sick they get). But I remember the initial shock and horror in kindergarten when my oldest was faced with the horrible class activity of picking what pizza they wanted to eat and having all sorts of focus on this "fabulous" pizza party that would be thrown for the class - it was horrible, cruel and completely insensitive IMNSHO. That child has incredibly fond memories of pizza . . . we only recognized her severe gluten issues when she went gluten free for her younger sister, and now she has ana reactions to wheat. Anyway, please let your child know that he is not alone; there are several other children represented here that understand his struggles.

[Poppi]

Kinnikinnick is my least favourite commercial crust BUT we found that grilling the pizza really improved the flavour and texture and added the desirable char. I do like Udi's crusts more (but don't love them) as the flavour is more neutral but of course, nothing beats homemade. That is, if you have the time and inclination to do it. As I do not have kids nor do I work it is easier for me to do than many folks.

My point is, try grilling the pizza regardless of the crust.

I absolutely have the time and inclination, just need a good, reliable recipe. I've got a stone in the oven just waiting for a pizza crust. I am a stay at home mom. During the day my hubby is at work and the older 4 kids are at school so it's just me and my 2 year old. I love baking.

[love2travel]

I absolutely have the time and inclination, just need a good, reliable recipe. I've got a stone in the oven just waiting for a pizza crust. I am a stay at home mom. During the day my hubby is at work and the older 4 kids are at school so it's just me and my 2 year old. I love baking.

Yes, I do recall that you love baking. I had forgotten that you are at home during the day!

Have you seen the pizza recipes I posted a couple of months ago? One is for thin crust the other a chewy crust. So far they are the best I've tried. They do include defatted soy flour, however, which can be detrimental for those who cannot tolerate soy. They also include albumen and whey powder which I get at our local health food store. If you have access to these things the recipes are worth a try. I grill those, too, and always look forward to the leftovers. But pizza stones really help, too. We have a wood-fired oven at our house in Croatia (outside) that is superb for pizzas and pretty much anything. The kitchen there is teeny so we cook outside.

Man, you have me craving pizza! Perhaps I will have to change my dinner plans for this week...

[kareng]

Some people always seem to turn every thread into a recipe thread!

Google in the upper right corner. We have had some good pizza crust recipes.

[love2travel]

Some people always seem to turn these threads into a recipe thread!

Google in the upper right corner. We have had some good pizza crust recipes.

Oh, darn it. That would be me. Sorry - I can't seem to help it. But I will try to be a good girl in the future.

[kareng]

Here's where Love's recipes are!