Going to camp is a rite of summer that many children – and their parents – look forward to each year. But for parents of children who suffer from severe food allergies, allowing them to attend camp can be a scary proposition, and one that many would prefer to avoid altogether.

The good news is that most Jewish day and overnight camps in the St. Louis area and Missouri take crucial steps to ensure the safety of each camper, including those who live with food allergies. Often the first of these steps starts with parents filling out an extensive medical form.

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“Parents fill out the health and safety form and allergy form with the treatment plan for children. The food allergy form includes information about the camper’s history, EpiPen and reaction history, and cross contaminant warning information,” explains Jody Miller, director of Camp Emeth at Congregation Shaare Emeth.

The information gained from the medical forms tells B’nai Amoona’s camp director Andrew Schwebel the next steps to take. The congregation operates two summer camps, Ramot Amoona and B’nai Ami.

“If we identify a food allergy on a medical form, I place a call to the parent to find out limitations,” says Schwebel. “I create a plan with the parents and tweak it so it works for the child. Parents are always uncomfortable. They are putting their child in a new environment and so we partner with the parents and help them feel their child is safe.”

Working with the parents seems a common theme at these camps as well as at the Jewish Community Center’s J Camp. Miller at Camp Emeth says, “Parents are concerned but by talking with them and reading ingredient lists, they feel more comfortable. Parents trust us because we keep them involved.”

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For J Day Camp nurse Mary Beth Vince, part of partnering with parents means quelling their concerns. “Every parent is different in how they react,” she explains. “I usually call the parent to find out what their child is allergic to and what reaction the child has. Some parents throughout the years are more concerned and I explain to them all the precautions we take.”

Vince’s assurances of safety give Cynthia Albin the confidence to send her daughter, Sydney, to J Day Camp year after year. Sydney, 9, had an asthma attack at 5-years-old triggered by seasonal allergies. Through testing, she was diagnosed with a nut allergy, including all tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds and green beans. Sydney has attended the J Day Camp for eight years.

“Mary Beth is great and works with us to make sure that Sydney is safe,” says Albin. “I feel comfortable sending Sydney to camp. The campers bring their own lunch so it takes away the nervousness of knowing what she is eating. We keep EpiPens with regular counselors, the nurse and the post-care program. I know that the counselors are trained to use them and I know they understand how to use them.”

Camp personnel must go through first aid instruction, including EpiPen training. “The counselors seem comfortable after the training and they always know that I am here if they have any questions,” said Vince.

At overnight camps like Camp Sabra, a Jewish resident camp located in the Lake of the Ozarks, parents must trust in their child’s safety around the clock. Food allergies are one of many concerns that director Terri Grossman must consider. “In every parent presentation, we talk about all sorts of adjustment issues, from friends, bunkmates, homesickness and food allergy issues,” said Grossman.

As a sleep-away camp, all meals at Camp Sabra are provided by the camp. “We offer three meals a day, all nut and sesame seed free,” explained Grossman. “We offer soy nut butter as an alternative to peanut butter.  We also have a few gluten-free folks, so we offer them special meals like leaving the bread crumbs off an item or specially purchased waffles.”

At Camp Emeth and the J Day Camp, campers bring their lunch every day to give parents control over the food. Both camps focus on separating kids with allergens in their lunches from the campers with allergies. At J Day camp, kids with nut allergies sit at a nut-free table. “It doesn’t mean only campers with nut allergies can sit there but just that no campers with nuts in their lunch that day can sit there. That way, campers with nut allergies can still sit with their friends,” Vince explains.

At the B’nai Amoona camps, the parents can choose to send lunch or to purchase lunch. Cooking specialist Betsy Enger at B’nai Amoona prepares all the food for the camp and makes the accommodations for the kids with allergies.

“I’ve worked at B’nai Amoona for 25 years and I feel used to making accommodations so everyone can be included,” she says. “In cooking classes I make sure that a dairy-free kid has soy milk. For gluten-free campers I use special bread. I make gluten-free ice cream sandwiches, too. It’s all in day’s work.”

Part of preventing allergic reactions means studying ingredients lists. “I had a time last year in which I called a manufacturing company of animal crackers because we weren’t sure if the facility also processed nuts,” Vince recalls. “I talked to the plant manager and found out that they processed nuts in a different section of the plant. We still chose not to give those crackers as a snack since it was the same building.”

Though campers with food allergies sometimes must eat different food than fellow campers or sit at an allergen-free table, staffers at these camps agree that the kids understand why and don’t seem to mind. “Allergies are so commonplace that kids don’t tend to have a reaction,” says Schwebel. “It’s pretty nonchalant.”