Caught up in the Spirit

Shopping at Whole Foods I saw a display that highlighted the phrase "Feed 100".  I inspected this burlap pouch that had the Feed 100 stamp on it and read the tag, which proclaimed that by purchasing this reusable grocery bag you would be helping the environment by cutting down the number of bags produced and wasted and provide meals to feed 100 children in schools in Africa.  I did have two reusable grocery bags but they were not made out of nearly as durable material as this cotton/burlap bag and were starting to develop holes so I decided to "purchase" this $25 bag which in my mind was really a donation to the cause of feeding children in Africa.

Then I got bored and went on the internet.  This is what I found that disappointed me on the www.feedprojects.org website which created the Feed 100 bag: "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." 


Now, reading their formula leaves me a little disappointed in the organization.  It seems it only takes $10 to feed 100 children, we all know that "covering the costs of the bag" is really a nominal cost, which means that the largest chunk of the purchase is going to "oversight of the program by the FEED foundation".  I'm sure they're doing good things but it disillusions me with all charitable giving that most of the money being given ends up going to administration and advertising.  If you give a dollar and only thirty cents makes it to the worthy cause you wanted to support, doesn't it make you less inclined to give a dollar?  It does for me.  I'd like a foundation that existed which had all of the administration costs covered by an initial benefactor who donated to establish the cause, and all outside donations could be used for the direct purpose they were intended for.  Somebody show me this cause and I'll support it (or maybe make it my own cause).