Recently in Our Favorite Charities Category

Lauren Bush launched the newest FEED bag, the FEED 2 Kenya bag exclusively in store at Bergdorf Goodman. Each bag pays to feed 2 Kenyan children for 1 whole year, with $100 of the bag's proceed going directly to the United Nations World Food Programme's School Feeding operations in Kenya. Did you know every five seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry? Hunger and malnutrition kill more people than AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis combined. Not only does the money go to feed children, the bag itself is handcrafted in Kenya by a coop of women so you are also supporting women artisans.

The FEED 2 is much more stylish and fashionable than the first version, each bag is exquisitely hand-beaded and has leather handles and shoulder strap for everyday wear or farmer's market shopping. Wear it across the body as a messenger for busy days running errands. The bags are $195, exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, in store. Click for more information on the FEED project.

Bags for auction, left: Gywneth Paltrow; right: Eva Longoria Demi Moore and other A-Lister friends of Ferragamo are donating signed Ferragamo bags to be auctioned on ebay with all proceeds going toward rebuilding L'Aquila Italy which was hit with a devastating earthquake this year. There will be an event on the evening of June 2nd at the Rodeo store in Beverly Hills to kick things off hosted by Debi Mazar and Adrian Grenier (so super hot!). Auction will take place at a designated ebay site starting June 3rd through June 12th. All proceeds from the auction will benefit Global Giving's Italy Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund.

Some of the signed bags on auction are from fans and friends Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Liu, Madonna, Marisa Tomei, Demi Moore (black bow clutch she is wearing in the picture), Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria (the python clutch I featured recently), Dita von Teese and Debi Mazar.

On June 2nd the Hollywood Improv will host a very special stand up comedy event that you cannot miss. It is a charity event that benefits "Laugh Links", a program that is a part of "A Place Called Home" which provides at-risk youth with a secure, positive family environment where they can regain hope and belief, earn trust and self-respect and learn skills to lead to a productive lifestyle free of the gangs, drugs and poverty that surround them. Laugh Links is such a great program, it teaches at risk kids to write their own stand up comedy material as well as perform it. It reinforces basic skills like writing but more importantly, it is a way for them to express their experience through laughter. This event is huge because it is their big moment to get up in front of hundreds of people at the legendary venue and show everyone what they've got. Please join me and help support these awesome kids. Tickets are only $20, get them HERE.

Our friend Florence the Shoegoddess is not only into shoes, she's really into supporting A Place Called Home- a haven within South Central Los Angeles dedicated to providing at-risk youth with a secure, positive family environment. Florence has been working with APCH for years now and spends time weekly down in South Central with her "kids" as she calls them. One of the events by APCH is "The Cinderella Project" -- a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to building the self-esteem of underprivileged teenage girls by providing them with beautiful formal wear for special occasions in their lives. We love supporting good causes and what could be better than building self worth in young women!?!? So we're asking anyone reading this to contact APCH and donate a gown, a pair of shoes, and/or a BAG!

Email Melissa Molina and find out how you can help!

We've received many bags for the Heroes and Handbags lunch today. The event benefits Heroes and Children (an organization that provides financial aid to families of children battling cancer) and we would like to take a moment to thank everyone who participated! Special thanks to Alexis Fallah who donated a fabulous $3,100 Lisette ostrich bag all the way from Italy!!!  The Lisette in ostrich (above) will surely fetch big dollars for our event; its utilitarian chic style is one that we all need in our bag wardrobe.

While having traveled extensively for work in fashion and film, Alexis Fallah Abram is an American designer based in the hills of Tuscany, Italy for the last 10 years. While researching leathers and artisans in Tuscany she found herself inspired by the old world traditions and the dedication to excellence that the Florentine artisans continue to uphold. She has collected a team of highly regarded, Italian artisans to develop her line of handbags which are 100% Made in Italy. The unique designs are emphasized by handcrafted hardware and luxurious hides and skin. The Alexis Fallah line of couture handbags is based off vintage style but with modern, first class elements. The "Lisette" (named after a character in Tuscan composer Giacomo Puccini's opera La Rondine) in ostrich: $3,100, and in saffiano calfskin: $900. To purchase or view the entire collection you can make an appointment with Alexis. She can be found in Florence, Italy or New York City. To reach her call +39 0574.893.0890, email her , or visit her website here.

Jimmy Choo is donating a portion of every purchase to The American Heart Association at all Jimmy Choo boutiques tomorrow, Feb. 12th. This is their way of saying "Happy Valentine's Day" and we say, "We love you, too!". What a great way to buy a gift for yourself or a loved one. Applies to everything in the store. Check here for your Jimmy Choo boutique, you can also call in your order if you can't make it in. The Seattle strappy sandals in tie dye patent leather is $850 and not yet available. The Simone bag is $2450.

Update: Thank you to Adriana Castro, the latest bag designer to donate! A crocodile bag will surely get big dollars at auction!

Start your New Year right and help others in need! As you may know by now, I am on the committee of Heroes and Handbags Luncheon benefiting Heroes for Children, a nonprofit organization providing direct financial and social assistance to families, within the state of Texas, with children (0-22 yrs of age) battling cancer.
I am writing to ask all of you to assist in our silent auction. Any designer and/or retailer who donates a bag to the luncheon for auction will receive an editorial on Bagsnob.com with link back to their choice of website. So please contact me asap and let me know if you are a HERO!

I'd like to thank Anya Hindmarch and Jalda bags for generously donating bags this week. You'll be reading more about them in the coming days!

This is not just another reusable canvas bag to save the world from endless plastic bags, this bag also raises awareness as well as contribute much needed funds toward cancer research. This bag, being sold at Kitson, is $52 and the entire amount will go to Stand Up To Cancer. Be eco-chic, have a cool bag, help cancer research and let people know what you stand up for, all that for $52! I say that's money well spent. Put this on your holiday shopping list, who wouldn't appreciate a gift full of meaning? Get it at Kitson.

Read other eco-chic bags features.

This Friday, November 7th, a huge bag event is taking place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Three hundred designer bags will be auctioned off to benefit Lupus LA at a luncheon with 600 very swanky guests including celebrities, special honorees and yours truly, Bag Snob Kelly =) I have seen some of these bags, they include Prada, Valentino (a gorgeous python), Marc Jacobs, Versace, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Ferragamo, Anya Hindmarch, Carlos Falchi, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Miu Miu, Lanvin, Diane von Fustenberg, the list goes on and on but you can see this is quite an impressive collection, click here to see pictures of some of these bags. The silent auction starts at 11am and all the ladies at this fancy luncheon let loose and go wild tackling each other to bid on their favorite bags, I mean, 600 ladies and only 300 bags, you can imagine what the scene is like. A sit down lunch follows the silent auction. This event sells out every year but tickets are still available on a limited basis so if you would like to go, you can purchase your tickets online. Individual tickets are $200, the entire amount will go toward Lupus LA. Please let me know if you plan on attending!

About Lupus
Lupus is one of America's least recognized major diseases. Nearly 1.5 million Americans have lupus. In fact, more Americans have lupus than cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis combined, making it one of this country's most prevalent medical problems. However, while lupus is widespread, awareness and accurate knowledge about it lag behind many other illnesses. Lupus is on the rise, and scientists don't know exactly why. While men can have lupus, it is mainly a woman's disease. The ratio of women to men is 9 to 1, or 90%. Read more about Lupus here.

By Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Tautou

Goyard is auctioning off 21 one of a kind bags that have been personalized by 21 French personalities, including Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Tautou and Vanessa Paradis to benefit cancer research. All the bags are in black or orange, the colors of L'Institut Curie which all proceeds will benefit. The organization "continues, according to the will of Marie Curie, a mission of treatment and research against cancer." The "Luggage For Life, Luggage for Curie" bags will be auctioned on Monday Nov. 17th, 7pm at Christies and will be on display at La Maison Goyard in Paris 233 Saint-Honore from Nov. 3rd to 15th. The same campaign in 2006 raised 120,000 euros.

The Croisiere by Audrey Marnay; The Croisiere by Vanessa Paradis