iBGFree Gluten Free Vending

Hi!  Welcome to the iBGFree gofundme Fundraiser!  My name is Amy.  I am here to share my story and ask you to be a part of helping me provide options for children and adults who need access to gluten free food options while in school, or on the go, who wouldn't otherwise have access to safe options unless they bring food from home or put their health at risk by eating foods that are not safe for them.

Two years ago I started iBGFree, Corp., the first and only vending machine company dedicated solely to gluten free foods and beverages.  This venture was born out of my own frustration of trying to find safe and accessible gluten free choices when traveling.  The dream is to provide easy access to gluten-free choices  for those with Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and those simply choosing a gluten-free lifestyle.   In addition to all of the items being gluten free, many of our offerings are also free from other major allergens such as nuts, soy and dairy.

As an adult, I know how difficult it can be not to be able to participate in the social fabric of eating a meal, or even snacking, with friends and family.  I can only imagine how much more challenging and frustrating it can be for children - to be left out of a friend's pizza party or a piece of birthday cake.  In looking at where I wanted to launch my business, I knew I wanted to give access to everyone, but schools and universities were a top priority.

After approaching many public venues, schools and universities, I launched the first machine at Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale, IL. (the opening video is the one that launched on the website with the first machine!)  Seven months later I placed machines at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South High Schools, in the western suburbs of Chicago.  One year ago, two more machines were placed into service, one at Parkview Elementary School and one at The Buckingham student housing building in Chicago.  After testing these locations, the machines at Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South and The Buckingham are still in operation.

For this initiative to work, to fulfill the dream of being on school campuses, universities, and student housing buildings across the country, the company needs to be able to scale.  Food and beverage vending is a capital intensive business.  I work full time in order to help support our family and have limited bandwidth to; source new locations, curate and order products, service and stock the machines, deal with maintenance issues, market the business, create and find meaningful content to share and educate others through social media, and maintain a website.  All of which I do by myself at this point.

This fundraiser is meant to be the catalyst to help grow this small start up into a regional, and ultimately national presence, not only providing gluten free on the go options, but to help educate people about Celiac disease.  Without this infusion of capital, my vision of providing access to gluten free options in venues, where they are not readily or easily available, will go unfulfilled.

I have invested tens of thousand of dollars into my dream.  I was blessed by the professional assistance of LK Marketing Services out of Indianapolis, IN to create my website and get me started on social media when I first launched.  The foundation is laid and this concept has so much potential!

Help me eventually grow where we are not only in schools and universities, but in airports, rest stops, sporting/entertainment venues and any other viable location that gluten free options are needed!  Help me create a line of iBGFree branded gluten free food items to be carried in the machines.  Help me enable others to be business owners by eventually creating franchise or owner operator opportunities through iBGFree!

I cannot thank you enough in advance for your contributions to this small start up's growth.  You will be a part of iBGFree realizing its full potential and for that I am grateful!

In closing, I do want to clarify, even though I used the word allergen above, Celiac disease is not an allergy.  It is an autoimmune disease that is triggered by gluten.  When people with Celiac ingest gluten containing foods or substances, our bodies turn on themselves, specifically on the small intestine, and damage or destroy the villi that line the intestine.  These small finger like villi are what help the body absorb the nutrients needed to stay healthy.  There are severe health consequences to prolonged exposure to gluten for people with this disease.  Left untreated, and the only treatment is a strict adherence to a 100% gluten free diet, people with Celiac can develop other autoimmune disorders like Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage, neurological conditions like epilepsy and migraines, short stature, and intestinal cancers.  You can read more at https://celiac.org/celiac-disease/understanding-celiac-disease-2/what-is-celiac-disease/#uKvS5IxV5MQoSHew.99

Please visit us at www.ibgfree.com

Thank you again!