When 80 kids converge on Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to pass a bill calling for voluntary food allergy guidelines in schools, Chris Giuliano of Salem will be among them.

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, an organization dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, is working to pass the federal bill.

The organization’s Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill program will put Chris, 13, and other young people who have food allergies into the role of junior ambassadors for two days.

They will urge lawmakers to pass the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act, which calls for voluntary national guidelines to help schools manage students affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis, a severe lifethreatening allergic reaction.

The experience will give Chris and the other kids the chance to provide members of Congress with a firsthand account of what it’s like to live with food allergies.

“We know what it’s like dealing with them,” said Chris, an eighth-grader at Hampstead Academy. “We can share all our experiences and how we deal with it. Someone who doesn’t have food allergies can’t do the same.”

Chris applied and was accepted into the program after his mother, Karen, read about it in an FAAN newsletter.

Junior ambassadors, who range in age from 6 to 18 and come from all over the United States, will be in the nation’s capital on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. They will meet with lawmakers, tell their stories, and advocate for the bill and food allergy research.

“These children impressed us with their commitment to spreading awareness and educating others about food allergies,” said FAAN CEO Julia Bradsher in a press release.

“It is so heartening to see that even at such a young age, they are effective ambassadors. We are so pleased to give them this opportunity to come to Washington, and we appreciate their efforts to help pass food allergy legislation for schools.”

According to the organization, approximately 3 million children in the United States live with the potentially life-threatening condition.

Chris is allergic to many foods, including peanuts, tree nuts, peas, fish, shellfish, legumes and sesame seeds.

He was diagnosed with food allergies when he was 16 months old. He had broken out in hives when he ate a peanut butter cracker in preschool.

Chris and his family must constantly be careful about his contact with foods. Often, he can’t eat cake at birthday parties. In school, he has to be careful who he sits near in the lunchroom. In the past he’s used nut-free chocolate. And he carries with him an Epinephrine auto-injector to treat allergic reactions. At least twice, he’s injected himself with it.

“When we go out to eat, Chris is certainly good about asking how things will be prepared,” said Karen. “It’s not unusual for (chefs) to come out and talk to us and tell us how they prepare (the meal), even bring us a package so we can read it. We want to eat foods that are available as much as possible without, obviously, putting Chris at risk, so it’s a balancing act.”

FAAN was founded in 1991 and is based in Fairfax, Va. The nonprofit organization is a world leader in information about food allergy, which afflicts approximately 12 million Americans. It has 30,000 members in the U.S. and 59 other countries.

This is the organization’s third annual Kids’ Congress on Capitol Hill. While in Washington, Chris hopes to meet with U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes and U.S. senators Judd Gregg and Jeanne Shaheen.

Karen likes that her son is participating in government. He’s taking on an issue that personally affects him, and he’ll learn from the experience.

“I like for him to have the appreciation for what it’s like to live in a democracy where you really are free to say what you want,” said Karen.

Chris is excited, too, and is very eager to make the trip. He’s ready to tell Congress why the legislation is important.

“I just think, what a great government we have when (we) at least have the right to try to make an impact,” he said. “Whether we do or not, it’s saying something that we can actually try.”