FEED Projects and Whole Foods Market have announced the new FEED 100 reusable shopping bag with a deeper purpose. Each bag purchased for $29.99 will help provide 100 nutritious meals to hungry school age children in Rwanda through the United Nation World Food Program’s (WFP) School Feeding Program. The bags will be available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom beginning May 1.

“Creating the FEED 100 bag was inspired by the need to take better care of children and the planet at the same time,’ said Lauren Bush, co-founder and CEO of FEED Projects. ‘Whole Foods Market and its savvy customers’ commitment to caring for the planet by choosing reusable shopping bags, make Whole Foods Market the perfect place to introduce the new FEED 100 bag, which will enable WFP to provide millions of school meals to the children of Rwanda.’

FEED Projects, which is responsible for the original FEED 1 bag, was founded by Bush, a former fashion model, and former World Food Program Communications Officer Ellen Gustafson.

“Each purchase of a FEED 100 reusable shopping bag will ensure 100 full bellies, encourage education and lead to a brighter future for school children,’ said Gustafson, who serves as executive vice president of FEED Projects. ‘Along with Whole Foods Market, our combined 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 over 42 million nutritious meals at no cost to the families.’

When a Whole Foods Market customer buys a FEED 100 bag, $10 will be donated by FEED Projects’ foundation, FEED Foundation, to the World Food Program’s Rwanda School Feeding operation; with the remainder going to cover the costs of the bag and oversight of the program by the FEED foundation. To further help the initiative, Whole Foods Market is not making a profit by offering the bags to its shoppers.

Designed solely for Whole Foods Market by Bush, the FEED 100 reusable bag is made of organic cotton and natural burlap and is produced with a commitment to ensuring fair treatment of workers, livable wages, paid overtime and safe and clean working environments. It is a lightweight, fresh white tote that collapses easily into its base, which is a zippered rectangular burlap pouch emblazoned with the FEED logo and the number 100. ‘The fact that the bag condenses into a small pouch makes it easy to remember when heading to buy groceries,’ added Bush.

‘We are thrilled about the FEED 100 bag because besides making an eco-friendly fashion statement, it helps educate people about hunger and what we can do to alleviate it,” said Nancy Roman, director of communications for the United Nations World Food Program.

“This bold and innovative partnership between FEED Projects and Whole Foods Market will make a real difference,” said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. “Hundreds of thousands of Rwandan children, who might have gone to school hungry, will now go nourished and ready to learn.”

The FEED 100 reusable shopping bags can be found at checkout counters at all Whole Foods Market stores starting May 1, 2008. For more details on the bag, click here. For a listing of stores, visit Whole Foods Market.