Harlem Lidl funds food bank with teen-designed totes
NEW YORK - You can grocery shop in style with a series of special edition tote bags on sale at the Lidl grocery store in Harlem.
Harlem teenagers designed the bags in an effort to help other local youth.
Smiling faces on four posters greet customers in the checkout line. The grocery store challenged the girls in the photos to design tote bags that nod to the neighborhood and nutritious food.
"We always are encouraging people to bring reusable bags and then also offer the option here," said Lidl's U.S. spokesperson Chandler Spivey. "So being able to offer this other great option for our customers is a huge plus for us.
Each bag represents the artist's vision and perspective, showing young Black girls surrounded by fresh fruits and vegetables.
"There's this bridge that a train runs over and it's above ground," describes 15-year-old artist Marley Alburez. "And I wanted to have a child because something that makes me feel inspired about the city as a child, and I'm still a child, is I could be free."
Alburez and her classmates completed the project under the guidance of their instructor, comic book artist AK Lovelace.
"I see extremely gifted conceptual artists," Lovelace said about his students' work. "They came up with really, really unique and powerful images that I'm very proud of them for."
The art is not just for show, though. Every dollar spent on the bags goes directly to the Food Bank of New York's Community Kitchen and Pantry of West Harlem.
The kitchen team cranks out 800 hot meals a day, five days a week. Most meals are dedicated to families with young children.
"We've always incorporated how the teenagers of the community are always kind of looking out for the younger kids and ways that they can be engaged in the work that supports the whole community," said pantry director Sultana Ocasio.
The demand continues to climb, making the project even more impactful.
"Jobs shut down, and a lot of people lost a lot of things. And I think making sure people can live a healthy life in a place as big as New York is really important," said 13-year-old artist Ella Alburez.
The goal is to feed up to 8,000 people through the Lidl tote bag sales.
"People get to see my artwork and I just feel pretty great that I'm also helping people who are in need," said artist Arianna Hoover Lluesma, 16.
The limited edition tote bags are available only at the Harlem Lidl, located at 2187 Frederick Douglass Boulevard.