Buy a Purse, FEED a Child

In a (completely unofficial) poll taken at PeaceKeeper, we discovered three reasons why we think reusable shopping bags are awesome:

1)     They’re an easy and inexpensive way to be eco-friendly.

2)     They can carry anything (and we mean ANYTHING) you need them to.

3)     They’re adorable, in that hippie-chic, I’m-saving-the-environment-and-I-look-darn-good-doing-it way.

So you can imagine when we found out that Lauren Bush, designer of the FEED reusable bag (and scion of the Bush family), was designing a new Guatemala line, we were absurdly excited.

Since their 2005 debut, these bags haven’t just been saving the environment; they’ve been feeding children around the world.  With each bag purchased, the FEED Foundation donates to the United Nations World Food Programme.  The foundation has raised over 5 million dollars in the past five years alone—that’s funding for over 55 million meals!

The latest FEED bags are a collaboration with NEST, a non-profit organization that empowers female artists and artisans with loans, mentoring, and an online marketplace for their products.  The bags (in vibrant colors and prints, a reflection of Guatemala’s vibrant culture) were designed by Ms. Bush and crafted by female artisans in Guatemala operating under microfinance loans; as the bags are sold, NEST uses the profits to provide more loans for other women in need.

These bags will be sold exclusively at FEED’s official website and in-store at Lord and Taylor.  For the small zippered pouch ($19), $3.50 will be donated to UNICEF—enough to provide a year’s sustenance for one Guatemalan child.  For each large tote sold ($39), FEED will donate $10.50, which will provide sustenance for three children for a year.

Chronic malnutrition is the cause of 50% of deaths in children under 5 years of age.  By purchasing a FEED bag, you can help these children to grow up stronger and healthier!

With Love,

The PeaceKeeper Team

(Writer:  Renee Estey.  Editors:  Jessica Smith and Eva Kuhn.  All pictures