𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟯𝟵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬... 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁. 💚

Twenty-six years ago, just 𝟭𝟯𝟵 people gathered on the patio outside the Calgary Celiac Association's tiny office for our very first 𝗚𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 Stampede Breakfast.

It was simple.

Volunteers cooked.
The food was donated.
Everyone was welcome.
And everything was free.

None of us could have imagined what it would become.

Then, in 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟱, everything changed.

Alberta Health Services introduced the 𝘁𝗧𝗚 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁, making it much easier for people to be screened for celiac disease. As awareness grew and more people received a diagnosis, our community grew too.

Every year, more families joined us. What started as a small gathering became one of the highlights of Stampede for Calgary's gluten-free community.

By 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, we were serving around 𝟳𝟬𝟬 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀.

Then came COVID.

When the breakfast returned, demand was greater than ever. Unfortunately, more people attended than we could safely feed, and many left disappointed without breakfast.

So in 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯, we made a difficult decision.

We introduced 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 and a $𝟱 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲.

Not to make money.
Not to exclude anyone.

But to make sure everyone who registered received a breakfast, to reduce food waste, to better support our incredible volunteers, and to help ensure our generous sponsors could continue making this event possible for years to come.

Fast forward to 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, and we welcomed 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, while keeping tickets at just $5 for adults (children 12 and under remain free).

Thanks to our amazing sponsors and volunteers, guests enjoyed premium gluten-free pancakes, meat and meat-free breakfast options, dairy and dairy-free choices where possible, fresh fruit, beverages, product sampling and the introduction of GF Beer.

From 𝟭𝟯𝟵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 at the biggest venue to date...

This breakfast has never been just about pancakes.

It's about community.
It's about belonging.
It's about ensuring people living with celiac disease can experience one of Calgary's favourite Stampede traditions safely and confidently.

To every volunteer, sponsor, donor and attendee who has been part of this incredible journey...

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝟮𝟲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 💚

#livingceliac #harvestmeats #cutcooking #greyfoxbrewing #spolumbos #amaranth #lokal #righteousgelato #glutenfreeliving #stampedebreakfast #calgaryfood

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗨𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗚𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁! 💚

At the Calgary Celiac Association, we believe the best events are created by listening to our community.

In recent months, both families and teenagers have expressed a desire for more opportunities to connect with others who comprehend the challenges of living with celiac disease or maintaining a gluten-free lifestyle.

The teenage years can be tough, especially when navigating social situations involving food. We aim to create a space where teens can relax, have fun, and connect with others who understand their challenges.

We're planning our very first Teen Event (ages 14–17), but before we do, we'd love your input.

👇 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀!

🥣 Cooking Class
🤸 Breathe Parkour
🎳 Bowling

We'll count every vote and do our very best to bring the winning activity to life!

💚 We know there are other age groups waiting too! This is just the beginning, and we can't wait to create more opportunities in the future.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 💚

#gfteens #teenscooking #glutenfreeliving #glutenfree

💙 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸... 𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴! 💙

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and ideas on our Holiday Family Party post. We truly appreciate your feedback, and we're listening!

Many of you told us you'd love to see 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆-𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 throughout the year, and we're already exploring a few exciting ideas.

One possibility is a fun winter gathering with 𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗴𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁, and time to connect as a community. ❄️☕

Now we'd love your help...

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝘄𝗻, 𝗼𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀, 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘁?

We're looking for a Calgary business that can provide gluten-free hot chocolate (with coffee and tea as a bonus!) for a potential family event.

If someone comes to mind, please tag them below or send us a message. We'd love to connect!

Together, we're creating more safe, welcoming, and memorable experiences for Calgary's gluten-free community. 💚

#calgaryceliac #celiac #glutenfree #glutenfreehotchocolate #glutenfreebaking #glutenfreecookies #glutenfreeholidays #familyholidayparty #glutenfreeyyc