The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project collects new and gently used tote bags for distribution to the region’s food pantries. The bags make it easier for food pantry clients to carry their groceries, particularly if they rely on the bus or walk to the pantry. Using tote bags reduces the pantries’ dependence on disposable bags and frees up money spent on those bags to be used for food.
We collect bags in three manners: individual donations at our network of more than 16 drop-off spots around the region; informal and formal tote bag drives (sometimes with food); and corporate donations of excess PR inventory. In our first six months, we collected 6500 bags. This has kept more than 18,000 disposable bags from being used by the region’s food pantries. That number increases with each tote bag reuse.
We try to make use of every donated item. Bags that are not suitable for groceries are donated to local shelters and human service programs for other uses. Bags that are a bit too worn out or torn are repurposed through a collaboration with the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.
For more information, please visit our website www.tote4pgh.org We are an official project of The Thomas Merton Center, a Pittsburgh based 501c3 organization.
Just today we set a collaboration in place with Gwen’s Girls to pass along the bags in good condition that are not suitable for food – purses, small totes, purse backbacks, messenger bags and small wallets, etc. We will happily continue to accept these donations and share with the girls receiving services through Gwen’s Girls.