FEED Keeps Its Promise

If you're anything like me, you're probably trying to get in the habit of using one of those eco-friendly reusable bags whenever you go to the farmer's market or the grocery store. If so, then check out FEED Handbags, a company that specializes in stylish canvas bags, with proceeds benefiting an array of hunger-related causes.

Starting in 2007, former model turned Princeton and Parsons-educated fashion designer Lauren Bush joined forces with Ellen Gustafson, a communications officer for the United Nations World Food Program, to launch FEED with the premiere of their trademark reusable shopping tote. Right from the beginning, each sale carried a guarantee: to provide a child in Africa with school lunch for a year, all via the UN's school-feeding programs.
Now they've joined with retail partners like Whole Foods and Harrods to bring their mission straight to customers. Their line has extended too, featuring bags inspired by the cause or region they support. The featured item of the moment is the FEED Guatemala Bag, a colorful tote handcrafted by artisans in Guatemala with sales benefiting UNICEF's children's nutrition iniatives in Latin America.

Likewise, the FEED Haiti Bag was designed specifically to drum up resources for that country in the wake of their devastating earthquake, while for each sale of their FEED Health Backpack, the company donates another backpack to a UN community health worker in Africa.

Even a quick glance at their homepage hints at the scope of their success thus far: 539,188 handbags sold, and 54,701,980 meals provided to kids around the globe. With a growing community of fans, customers and fellow philanthropists, FEED offers a sweeping and timely vision of global outreach.