Call her a handbag designer, an entrepreneur, or a humanitarian, but Lauren Bush’s role as a creator lies in her development of FEED bags—and with it, the concept of a “social business.” Founded in 2007, FEED provides food for hungry children. For every FEED product purchased, a donation is made to help raise money for meals and awareness.
“When I think about my childhood and what I would do in my free time with no pressure, it always came back to setting up a business and selling stuff to someone,” Bush recalls. “Whether it was building a lemonade stand or hand making jewelry. I always loved that process of making stuff and then selling it. But, from an early age, I also had a strong sense of myself. I knew I wanted to do something to give back because I felt very lucky and blessed.”
From a young age, Bush’s parents encouraged her to volunteer at homeless shelters and soup kitchens, exposing her to snapshots of a life that was different from her own. She joined the UN World Food Programme where she witnessed large bags of food rations being distributed. The bags sparked an “aha” moment as she asked herself, “Why not create a consumer good and use my entrepreneurial itch to give back?”
The result was FEED bags, a line of stamped burlap handbags with a very utilitarian look. By combining the touch and feel of the bags of food rations with a cool, almost trendy design aesthetic, Bush was able to communicate FEED’s message and spread brand awareness in environments that may not have otherwise been exposed to world hunger issues. By wearing her beliefs on her bag and calling upon her fashionable connections to rock her totes, Bush has built a social business whose message spread like wildfire.
Not everyone who works in a soup kitchen as a kid or comes from a privileged family decides to commit their life to fighting world hunger. Certainly, as a child, Bush never had to worry where her next meal was coming from. I was curious if she experienced a certain level of guilt that may have motivated her pursuit of FEED. “I don’t know if I’d call it guilt,” she told me. “I guess you can’t help sort of feeling that way when you’re exposed to folks who are really struggling. But FEED was less about guilt and more about empathy. We shouldn’t feel guilty about what we have. We are lucky and blessed. It’s about being cognizant of how lucky and blessed we are and paying it forward when we can. FEED allows others to participate in fighting world hunger in a way that’s tangible and meaningful and not abstract and overwhelming.”
Bush is an example of a creator who let empathy guide her entrepreneurial spirit. Her latest project, FEED Supper, helps set up shared meals where guests are encouraged to make a donation to provide meals to people in need, an opportunity to chat with friends over a meal and give back while doing it. It’s exciting to see a generation of young, motivated people using their entrepreneurial mindedness for the greater good.
After all, you can look good and have nice things, but it feels even better when you give back.
Photo credit: FEED