Preview of Target’s FEED Collection in Stores June 30th

A collection of items from Target’s upcoming “Feed” collaboration

Back  in May 2013 Target announced their plan to partner with FEED Projects, a social business founded by Lauren Bush Lauren.  The partnership was created to bring the FEED USA + Target collection to market. Now Target has released preview pictures of the forthcoming collaboration, due in stores June 30th.  With it’s red, white and blue color palette, the collection is well timed for the upcoming July 4th holidays.  The limited-time-only collection will include more than 50 stylish products and benefit Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.   So what can you expect from the  FEED USA + Target collection?  I have to wonder, is creating merchandise a good way to help hungry children or would a donation from Target have been more effective?

My top pick from the Target FEED collection are the totes priced at $35.00

The original FEED item was a burlap bag,  launched in 2006 as a  bag  designed to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme’s School Feeding program. Since 2006, the FEED collection of items has expanded.   The  FEED USA + Target collection includes products  like home goods, sporting goods, stationery, plus apparel and accessories and even bikes. The  prices range from $3.00 to $400.00 for the foldable bike.  To make you feel good about your purchase, each product  in the collection displays the number of meals that will be donated to children and families through Feeding America as a result of the purchase.   Let me just say, that the number of meals that will be donated needs to be on these pieces, because that is the real buying incentive here, not fashion. Honestly, based on the Target look book, I’m not that impressed with this stuff.   The toss pillows and home organizers are attractive enough, but items like the melamine appetizer plates  and the iPhone 5 cases just look cheap.   My advice: pick through this stuff carefully when it arrives at your local Target stores.   You can donate to many good causes to feed hungry children without buying merchandise from Target.  The FEED Totes look like the most appealing and functional pieces of this collection.  The jewelry, tees and baby bibs just leave me wondering WHY were these produced for sale?    The items in this collection are not “must-haves” and how many hungry children could have been fed with the money spent manufacturing these items?   To me, this is just one big MEH.

Postscript: Click here to read The Recessionista’s Review of the Target FEED USA collection.