LOVELAND, Colo. -- Bread is plentiful in food banks across the country. Gluten-free bread is not. That’s about to change as a Colorado food bank becomes the test site for a new, nationwide program to offer gluten-free food.

The House of Neighborly Service in Loveland unveiled the gluten-free food bank on Tuesday. It is designed as a model for other food banks across the country.

Gluten is a protein particle in wheat, barley, rye and their derivatives. It can trigger reactions in people with celiac disease.

Across the country, there have been scattered efforts to gather gluten-free food for the holidays or to offer a monthly gift card to help offset the extra expense of a gluten-free diet. Now, Denver's Raquelitas Tortillas has set up a corporate-giving program in which 1 percent of the sales of their new gluten-free flatbread, Sandwich Petals, will be donated each month to a gluten-free food bank. Sandwich Petals creator, Rich Schneider, is challenging other corporations to do the same.

House of Neighborly Services says it provided nearly 6,500 food baskets to more than 14,000 clients last year.

In addition to the flatbread, other gluten-free food donations are now being accepted at House of Neighborly Service. Food should be identified as gluten free when dropped off or shipped.