March 2012 Wilson GF Support Group Updates & Meetings

Hello Fellow Wilson Gluten Free Folks!

I hope you are all doing well and have had a wonderful winter (well, if you can call it a "winter"!) I have finally finished the gluten free slow cooker cookbook and it will be available next Fall in bookstores nationwide along with Amazon and Books A Million! I plan to start having bi-monthly meetings again in May 2012. I think this will be easier to plan for than monthly meetings and I think it will also encourage more attendance to only have them every other month. I also want to have planning meetings with those of you who are interested in helping to plan future meetings. We will talk about how we can better the meetings and we we can split up duties of preparing for the meetings!!

A few things we all need to keep in mind for future meetings:

• -- We will be speaking with a renowned registered dietitian, who specializes in gluten free and allergen free diets: Mrs. Cheryl Harris of Harris Whole Health and GFGoodness.com 
• -- we need to decide WHEN we want to speak with her and how we can advertise this to have as many people attend as possible. 
• -- Creating an online gluten free guidebook for the Wilson/Rocky Mount/Greenville/Goldsboro area -- How can we add more members to our group? I know we have MORE and more people in our area who are starting to follow a GF diet, I've heard about them and run into people in public. 
• -- How can we raise money for our group to create things like official banners, work on an official website, etc... who will be volunteer to be the group's financial officer, etc... I will need other people to take over leadership roles like this, if we choose to have them. 
• -- Do we want our support group to join a national organization such as the Gluten Intolerance Group or the Celiac Sprue Association. Remember that joining a group like this would mean we would not be a "free" support group anymore, we would have to have membership dues, follow the guidelines for the national groups, meaning we wouldn't have quite as much freedom to decide how to run our own group, etc... 

Please check out our real-time calendar to see dates for upcoming coffee breaks and ROCK parties!

March-September 2012 Meeting and Coffee Break Schedule

Here is a list of the times, dates, and meeting places for the Wilson Gluten Free Support Group for the remainder of 2012.

Coffee Breaks: 

• Planning Meeting/Coffee Break: Tuesday March 20th 7-8pm, Wilson Target Starbucks 
• Planning Meeting/Coffee Break: Tuesday April 10th 7-8pm, Chick Fil A 
• Planning Meeting/Coffee Break: Tuesday May 1st 7-8pm, Wilson Target Starbucks 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday May 22nd, 7-8pm Chick Fil A 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday June 5th, 7-8pm Wilson Target Starbucks 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday July 24th, 7-8pm Chick Fil A 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday August 14th, 7-8pm, Wilson Target Starbucks 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday September 25th, 7-8pm Chick Fil A 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday October 16th, 7-8pm Wilson Target Starbucks 
• Coffee Break: Tuesday November 27th, 7-8pm Chick Fil A 

Bi-Monthly Meetings

• MAY MEETING: Saturday May 12, 3-5pm Winstead UMC 
• JULY MEETING: Saturday July 14, 3-5pm Winstead UMC 
• SEPTEMBER MEETING: Saturday Sept.15th 3-5pm Winstead UMC 
• NOVEMBER MEETING: Saturday Nov. 10th 3-5pm, HOLIDAY POTLUCK -- Place to be announced 
• JANUARY 2013 MEETING: Saturday Jan 12, 3-5pm, Winstead UMC

For more information on our group, please email Carrie Forbes: gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com. 

Wilson GF Support Group Fall Meeting & Coffee Break Dates

Wilson GF Support Group MONTHLY MEETINGS all on Saturdays:

• September 17th (moved from the 10th) -- 3-5pm Winstead UMC -- SEPT. MEETING CANCELLED!
• October 15th 3-5pm Winstead UMC -- GF program especially for celiac kids!
• November 12th 3-5pm Winstead UMC --Annual Holiday Potluck at Winstead UMC 
• NO December Meeting
• January 14th 2012,  3-5pm Winstead UMC

Wilson GF Coffee Breaks all on Tuesdays from 7-8pm:

• September 13th - Wilson Target Starbucks
• September 27th - Chick Fil A
• October 11th - Wilson Target Starbucks
• October 25th - Chick Fil A
• November 8th - Wilson Target Starbucks
• November 22nd - Chick Fil A
• NO December Coffee Breaks
• January 24th 2012 - Wilson Target Starbucks

Wilson GF July Updates

• Mellow Mushroom (which serves gluten free pizza) has a restaurant scheduled opening in Fall 2011 in Greenville NC! YAY! :-)  Thanks for the tip Heather!

• Another great restaurant I enjoy in Greenville is Five Guys Burgers & Fries. The fries are made in a dedicated fryer & the burgers are gluten free (sans the bun of course).  They do have peanuts available throughout the store for everyone to enjoy, so if you have a peanut allergy this is not the place for you to go! 

• Margaret Highsmith, a Greenville resident has opened a gluten free cake bakery out of her home in Greenville and she will deliver to Wilson. Her specialty is gluten free special occasion cakes and the bakery is called Gluten Free Dream Cakes (www.glutenfreedreamcakes.com) You can contact her by email: glutenfreedreamcakes@gmail.com or phone: 252-917-2966. 

• Hibachi 101, located in Heritage Crossing in Wilson across from Harris Teeter is a quick Japanese grill and I have been able to eat there safely several times. I order the hibachi chicken or steak, I make it clear when ordering that the staff needs to clean the grill and that they do not use ANY sauces on my meat or vegetables. I order this with white rice and I haven't gotten sick. If you miss Japanese, this might be a good option to try! :-) 

Upcoming Gluten Free Coffee Breaks: 

• Tuesday July 19th, 7-8pm Wilson Target Starbucks
• Tuesday August 2nd, 7-8pm Wilson CHICK FIL A 
• Tuesday August 16th - CANCELLED
• Tuesday August 30th - 7-8pm Wilson Target Starbucks

Upcoming Gluten Free Monthly Meetings: 

• Saturday August 13th -- location & time pending -- I'm hoping to plan this at a local Wilson restaurant that can meet our gluten free dietary needs. If you have a suggestion, please let me know!
• Saturday September 27th - Winstead UMC 3-5pm

Why Gluten Free Coffee Breaks?

Every other Tuesday our Wilson Gluten Free Support Group meets up to have a Gluten Free Coffee Break. The purpose of these meetings is simple: we need to share our experiences. Being gluten free in a gluten filled society can be tough. Food is important in so many aspects of our lives... and when you are gluten free it effects every part of your life. 

Our Tuesday night coffee breaks are simply a safe place for you to share your experiences, have a safe gluten free cupcake or brownie, and just have the opportunity to talk with people who get it. Whether you're gluten free due to celiac disease, autoimmune disorders, autism spectrum disorders, or simply for health reasons, we're here to help you. 

Our next GF Coffee Break will be held on Tuesday June 21st from 7-8pm at the Wilson Chick-Fil-A on Forest Hills Rd. If you have any questions about our coffee break or about our support group, please email Carrie (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com). 

I look forward to meeting you! :-) 

Wilson Gluten Free Support Group - Dates for June 2011

June Monthly Support Group Meeting:

• Saturday June 11th, 4-6pm at Nancy Clayton's home. Email Carrie (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) for directions!) 

June Gluten Free Coffee Breaks: 

• Tuesday June 21st, 7-8pm at the Wilson Chick-Fil-A

A Gluten Free Holiday Potluck - Saturday November 20th

Our November Meetup Group meeting will be a Gluten Free Holiday Potluck!! 

Now is the time to start signing up for the item you would like to bring! 

WHAT: 

Wilson Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group Holiday Potluck

WHEN: 

Saturday November 20th from 3-5pm

WHERE: 

Winstead United Methodist Church (Fellowship Hall), Wilson NC

CONTACT: 

Carrie Forbes (gingerlemongirl (at) gmail (dot) com for more information to sign up for the potluck -or- to learn more about our Wilson NC Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group