Allison Rose Foundation

Instructor Spotlight: Matt Benedict

For Matt Benedict, food allergy awareness is both personal and professional.

Matt, a lieutenant/paramedic with the Eastlake Fire Department and Fire & EMS instructor at Auburn Career Center, has served as an Allison Rose Foundation instructor for four years.

His connection to food allergies began when his son was a toddler and was diagnosed with multiple allergies. At the time, Matt and his wife found there were limited resources available to help educate school and restaurant staff, so they spent years advocating for allergy-safe environments that protected their son without restricting others.

“Having an allergy or a loved one with an allergy may seem overwhelming at first, but it gets easier with time,” Matt shared. “For us, it changed all of our lives for the better. We became more creative with the way we cooked and discovered a healthier lifestyle.”

Through ARF, Matt is able to bring together his experience as a dad and as a paramedic to help others recognize anaphylaxis and respond with confidence in an emergency.

“I’m honored to be part of the Allison Rose Foundation and its mission,” Matt said. “It allows me to share what I have learned in hopes of making the community safer for those with allergies.”

During Food Allergy Awareness Week, we are grateful for instructors like Matt who bring real-life experience, compassion and emergency response expertise to this life-saving work.