4.29.2008 - 01:51pm ET

(CSRwire) AUSTIN, Texas, April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FEED Projects, a socially minded business with hopes of feeding the world, and Whole Foods Market (Nasdaq: WFMI), the leading natural and organic foods supermarket, announced today the new FEED 100 reusable shopping bag will be available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on May 1. 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.

"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 previously launched 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.

In 1994, Rwanda lost 800,000 men, women and children to genocide; as a result, the nation's economy and social structures were decimated. Since 2003, the World Food Program has provided free, nutritious school lunches to Rwanda's children in 300 schools in the most food-deprived areas. Each hot, nutrient-rich meal draws boys and girls to school, helps them learn, and may be the only meal they have all day. School attendance has grown from 63 percent to 93 percent, and to help close the educational gender gap, girls with good attendance may receive extra rations to take home to their families.

"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, visit http://www.FEEDprojects.org. For a listing of stores, visit http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

About FEED Projects

FEED Projects was started in 2006, when Lauren Bush, former fashion model and niece of President George W. Bush, designed a bag to benefit the UN World Food Program's School Feeding operations. Lauren teamed up with former World Food Program Communications Officer Ellen Gustafson to launch a socially minded business with the hopes of feeding the world. Each FEED bag sold feeds children around the world in their schools. Hunger and malnutrition kill more people than AIDS, malaria, and TB combined. In fact, every five seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry. For hungry children, school is not even an option. FEED bags raise awareness about child hunger while giving an education, a full belly, and a brighter future to one hungry child at a time.

About Whole Foods Market(R)

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com) is the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket and America's first national certified organic grocer. In fiscal year 2007, the company had sales of $6.6 billion and currently has more than 270 stores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The Whole Foods Market motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"(TM) captures the company's mission to find success in customer satisfaction and wellness, employee excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Whole Foods Market, Fresh & Wild(TM), and Harry's Farmers Market(R) are trademarks owned by Whole Foods Market IP, LP. Wild Oats(R) and Capers Community Market(TM) are trademarks owned by Wild Marks, Inc. Whole Foods Market employs more than 53,000 Team Members and has been ranked for 11 consecutive years as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine.

About The United Nations World Food Program

The World Food Program is the world's largest humanitarian agency, feeding 88 million people in 78 countries around the world. Hunger and poverty still claim 25,000 lives every day, and 400 million kids go to bed hungry every night. World Food Program's innovative food aid projects, like School Feeding, help the poor break out of the poverty trap and build a sustainable future.

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