EpiPals Expands Reach Into Michigan in Support of Children With Severe Food Allergies

DETROIT, MI--(Marketwired - Oct 24, 2015) - EpiPals, a non-profit organization founded by Catherina and Amanda Gores, daughters of Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores, hosted a fundraiser today at Intermix Somerset Collection to benefit the University of Michigan Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center. Shoppers enjoyed a curated assortment of the latest fall fashions from exclusive designers while ten percent of sales from the day were donated to the University of Michigan Food Allergy Center.

"Our goal with EpiPals is to make people more aware that severe food allergies can be life threatening and that kids who are affected are in real danger," said Catherina Gores. "We know from personal experience and we want to help educate people and provide support for families in need."

Catherina and Amanda, inspired by their younger brother Charles, who lives with severe food allergies, founded EpiPals in 2013 in partnership with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. EpiPals' mission is to support families through education, awareness and the distribution of EpiPens to those in need. An EpiPen is an injectable form of epinephrine that can quickly reverse an allergic reaction. To date, EpiPals has raised more than $800,000.

"For most people, simply going out to dinner, seeing a movie or having any celebration that involves food is something they take for granted. For families with children who suffer from severe food allergies, those kinds of activities can be worrisome and dangerous," said Amanda Gores. "We founded EpiPals to help families who may not have access to EpiPens or other resources they need to stay healthy and safe."

The Gores sisters said EpiPals' success in California inspired them to extend their reach to Michigan, where their parents Tom and Holly grew up and where their family spends a lot of time visiting relatives and attending Pistons games.

The move was welcome news to the University of Michigan Food Allergy Center.

"Support like this will help save the lives of children impacted by life-threatening food allergies and establish the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center at the University of Michigan Health System as one of the premier locations in the country for research and clinical care for this important and difficult disease," said James R. Baker Jr., MD, Founding Director, Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center.

About EpiPals
EpiPals (www.epipals.com) is a non-profit organization founded by Catherina and Amanda Gores in 2013 in partnership with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. EpiPals' mission is to help support families of children with severe food allergies through education, awareness and the distribution of EpiPens to those in need.