When you think of a backpack, what comes to mind?
Is it the memory of a tattered elementary school bag, with frayed straps and busted zippers, having just barely survived your most active years? Or maybe your sturdy college bag, still containing remnants of four years of sleep-deprived, takeout-fueled education and adventure?
What if the sight of a backpack elicited a more meaningful reaction – one of survival, hope, life?
LAEL has made this its vision. Established in 2015 and self-labeled as a Brand for Humanity, LAEL focuses on designing and creating quality products in an effort to help create solutions for some of humanity's greatest struggles. Their products include The "Pioneer" Rucksack, The "Anchor" Messenger bag, a host of watches and various statement keys.
Their mission, however, runs much deeper than leather and canvas. Each product they sell helps contribute much-needed meals to the orphaned and the homeless. In fact, 100 percent of LAEL's profits goes toward outreach missions projects. Their efforts to help feed the orphaned are collaborated with The Orphan Project, Orphans Tear and Lightify Creative, and their efforts to feed the homeless are partnered with L.A. Dream Center, Feeding America and the Two Cents Project.
LAEL is the brainchild of founder and CEO Lauren Parks, an Oklahoma native from Edmond. The goal of Parks and LAEL is to feed 100 million people around the world, captured in their #FEED100million campaign. Each of the bag or watch sold provides 90 meals, and each statement key sold provides 15 meals.
LAEL's website further outlines their mission to end hunger:
"To be real, physical hunger is only scratching the surface of the major humanitarian need we are answering- world hunger. We believe filling physical hunger is a doorway to a much deeper issue. The world is hungry for something greater than food - they want to be loved. We have learned that by responding to the needs of physical hunger, we can reach people who are emotionally, spiritually, and mentally empty as well. Our initiative is to feed hungry stomachs so that we can fill hungry hearts. This is our greatest commission; to fill all types of hunger with joy, hope, love and fullness of heart."
In addition to feeding the hungry, LAEL continues their efforts to better humanity with their global impact projects. Their first global impact project, in 2015, was for earthquake relief in Nepal, wherein the company partnered with Global Giving to raise awareness and meet the immediate needs of those in Nepal's earthquake-affected areas. All of the proceeds for LAEL products purchased during one week in May 2015 went toward the project.
Projects since then have included combatting homelessness with the Two Cents Project, providing special moments for terminally-ill children alongside Dream Adventures, visiting and aiding orphans in the Philippines with Lightify Creative and Bring Me Hope, travelling to Nicaragua to participate in adolescent surf outreach with Cowabunga Surf and volunteering at the Dream Center in L.A. to help the homeless during the holidays.
Their latest global impact project is their Uganda Outreach project. LAEL is collaborating with Lightify Creative, Compassion International and International Justice Mission to send a team to visit Ugandan orphanages to find and meet their immediate needs.
So far, LAEL has provided nearly 58,000 meals to orphans and homeless individuals in need. If you'd like to help LAEL provide meals for the homeless, helpless and hungry in the world or if you'd like to simply learn more about the Brand for Humanity, visit www.laelbrandforhumanity.org.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
