Please shop responsibly: buy a bag, feed a child

Almost 400 million children around the world go to bed hungry every night. Every five seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry. Hunger and malnutrition kill more people than AIDS, malaria, and TB combined. Since 2006, the number of hungry people has in fact increased from 870 million to more than 1 billion. The numbers on world hunger are staggering no matter how you look at them. 

Nevertheless, the Feed Projects offers a proactive solution via consumerism. Their mission is to create “good products that help feed the world”. They sell environmentally-friendly, artisan-made, and fair-labor products such as bags, bears, t-shirts, and other accessories. They build a set donation into the cost of each product. “Thus the impact of each product, signified by a stenciled number, is understandable, tangible, and meaningful”. As such FEED Projects is another example of what is called conscientious consumption, philanthroconsumer brand, ethical consumerism (the names are increasingly varied!) that I analyse on this blog.

Their Story:

FEED Projects was started in 2006 when Lauren Bush (model and activist) designed a bag to benefit the United Nations World Food Program's (WFP) School Feeding operations. Lauren, a WFP Honorary Spokesperson who has visited eight WFP food aid operations around the world, was inspired by the plight of the people she met on her travels. She took a special interest in WFP's School Feeding program, which feeds and educates hungry children.
Inspired by the aesthetic of the bags of food distributed by WFP, she created the FEED 1 bag, a reversible burlap and cotton bag stamped with "FEED the children of the world" and the number "1" to signify that each bag feeds one child in school for one year.


At the UN, Lauren met then-WFP Communications Officer Ellen Gustafson and they hatched a plan to use FEED bags to FEED the world. In 2007, Lauren and Ellen founded FEED Projects, LLC and started selling FEED 1 bags in April of 2007. By the end of 2007, they raised donations for WFP to feed over 37,500 hungry children in school for one year. In 2008, FEED Projects various partnerships will lead to over $4 million for WFP school feeding.


Their Solution:


FEED Projects regards school feeding as one of the most effective solutions to stopping hunger and breaking the poverty cycle. “In 74 countries, the UN World Food Program (WFP) offers a nutrient-packed meal to children in school. This food gets kids to school, who might not attend otherwise, and gives them the energy to learn and empowers them to better their lives.


When boys and girls are given a free, nutritious meal in school, research has shown that attendance increases by 100% and performance improves greatly. Girls with just a few years of education have fewer children, have them later in life, and are better prepared to care for and educate them. For many children, a school lunch is the only meal they will receive all day. FEED Projects goal is to reach hungry children through the sales of our FEED bags. FEED bags raise much-needed funds for WFP school-feeding  operations and awareness of the problem of child hunger.


We distribute the funds through the FEED Foundation, our partner organization which gets the money from bag sales to hungry children as efficiently as possible”.


Their Products:


It is interesting to notice how Feed Projects works very closely with global brands and directly with specific appeals for each products.


Brands:
Clarins: FEED works in collaboration with Clarins - "the FEED 15 Clarins Pouch!" Each FEED 15 Clarins Pouch provides 15 school meals to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Over the course of two years, the FEED and Clarins partnership hopes to provide 1 million meals to children through the WFP.

Disney: FEED is proud to announce a working partnership with Disney in the sale of the FEED Our Small World, For each FEED Our Small World Tote purchased at Nordstrom stores in the U.S. and at nordstrom.com, FEED Projects will donate $10.00 to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to help support UNICEF’s nutrition programs.                             

A Specific FEED Solution:


-Haiti Appeal: For every FEED Haiti bag purchased, 50 school meals will be donated to the Each FEED










-Japan EarthQuake: Each FEED Japan bag sold will give $10 to the FEED Foundation’s FEED Japan Fund. 










FEED Projects has partnered with Teddy Share, a charitable bear company, to create the FEED bears. Each FEED 5 Bear that is sold will provide Plumpy'Nut®, a high nutrient paste, to 5 children under the age of 5 through the non-profit organization Industrial Revelation. Take "Plumpy®" home with you and support 5 children


Retail Partners Include:


.
`
 Feed Project has enjoyed feature article in very Prestigious, Glamorous and Fashionable magazines and newspapers: from ELLE,to GLAMOUR, GRAZIA, BAZAAR, InStyle, marie claire, Paris Match, People, Point de Vue, TATLER, VOGUE, Teen VOGUE, TIMES, Guardian, and Vanity Fair. Who thought generosity and activism would be so high profile? 

Their Strategic Message is very blunt, didactic. For example: “buy a bag. Feed a Child”.
 Shop Responsibly. 

It also implies a direct correlation between the act of buying and the human outcome. 

546,847 bags sold=64,014,757 meals provided.

We noticed such marketing trends were also used buy other ethical brands such as Product (RED).

One thing is for sure FEED Projects is in it for the long haul. They believe collaborative consumption for a good cause will help feed the world one bag at a time. Such trend pinpoints that there is a need to rediscover collective good and not just an individual greed for meaningless, consciousless consumption and waste. It seems brands are on a mission to make ethics trendy, cool, and hip. I’m in!


Please visit the FEED Foundation at thefeedfoundation.org .