This past Earth Day Whole Foods Market began its self-imposed national ban of single-use plastic bags. The natural and organic grocer still offers 100 percent recyclable paper grocery bags made with 100 percent recycled fiber content, and sells canvas totes and its 99-cent "A Better Bag," which is made from 80 percent recycled plastic bottles.
But its newest plastic alternative, the FEED 100 reusable shopping bags, have more than the environment in mind. Each $30 bag purchased helps provide 100 nutritious meals to hungry school-age children in Rwanda through the United Nation World Food Program's (WFP) School Feeding Program.
FEED 100 bags are the latest product from FEED Projects, a social initiative to feed the hungry, founded in 2006 by former fashion model Lauren Bush (niece of President George W. Bush) and former World Food Program Communications Officer Ellen Gustafson.
For every bag purchased $10 is donated by FEED Projects' foundation, FEED Foundation, to the World Food Program's Rwanda School Feeding operation. The remainder covers the costs of the bag and oversight of the program by the FEED foundation. Although the bags are exclusively available at Whole Foods, the supermarket does not make a profit on them.
"Whole Foods Market approached the FEED Projects to be part of this cause," says Milwaukee Whole Foods representative Autumn Faughn. "Since the FEED Projects program was created to care for the children of the world and the environment at the same time, it's a natural fit with Whole Foods Market's mission and core values and the passionate support of those causes by our shoppers. "
Since May 1, Milwaukee's Whole Foods Market, 2305 N. Prospect Ave., has sold 60 FEED 100 bags.
The 100 percent organic cotton and natural burlap sacs help raise awareness about child hunger while giving an education, a full belly, and a brighter future to one hungry child at a time. The lightweight bags are white with the FEED logo on the side and collapse into a rectangular, zippered base.
"Each purchase of a FEED 100 reusable shopping bag ensures 100 full bellies, encourages education and leads to a brighter future for school children," said Gustafson, who serves as executive vice president of FEED Projects.
"Along with Whole Foods Market, our hope is to support the entire Rwanda School Feeding program for all of 2008, and we are well on our way as the first order of bags alone will provide more than 42 million nutritious meals at no cost to the families."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
