The Giving Bag: Raising Funds To Help Others

My parents from a very early age taught us that helping others is one of the biggest joys in life. We volunteered at an inner city church when I started kindergarten and continued to this day to always find a group or a cause that I believed in to volunteer with.

There are so many great non-profits these days it's harder than ever for them to raise the necessary funds to operate. I' m a great volunteer and marketer, but I hate asking people for money, so I wanted to come up with a product that I could use to help raise funds. The Giving Bag came to be when I was in NYC with a group of chefs and we realized we never had enough hands, especially when we were visiting the farmers market and local stores and bought goodies from every vendor each in a different. Sometimes it was easier to hold things with handles, sometimes as a backpack or other times, just something slung over my shoulder.

The Giving Bag was my solution. It is made with fabric remnants that might otherwise be thrown away and sewn in Hillsboro Texas. You can use it over your shoulder, as a backpack or by the handles so it's ready to go anywhere you do. It's great as a market bag, at the beach, as a book bag... The possibilities are endless.

Here's the best part. Profits are given to very worthwhile charities that I believe in and have shown me that most of the money is being used to actually help others and isn't going to salaries, buildings, and marketing costs. I have two main groups - Shared Housing and animal rescue but also donate when there is an emergency or a special cause like the MS Walk in New York City.

We are watching Hurricane Harvey eye Texas tonight, so we thought this was the perfect time to announce that all profits from today and thru September will be going to support Texas based Animal Investigation and Response. They are already working with shelters in the areas that are in harm's way, and they are the best organization that we have ever worked with to protect the rights of animals.

Each pattern is a limited edition and will be continuously changing. The cost is $25.00 or 2 for $40.00 each. They can be purchased at our LifestylistLook shop at Lula B's Oak Cliff.