A Tote Bag Helped Raise $20,000 for Planned Parenthood in 3 Days

On Dec. 29, the owner of a small print shop located in Silver City, N.M., posted a new product on the company’s Instagram page — a tote bag selling for $15 where 100 percent of the proceeds would be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Within three days, the company made a donation of $20,000 to the 100-year-old nonprofit organization.

And the orders keep rolling in — Olivia Wilde and other influencers included.

“It’s been crazy because I didn’t expect it to be as big as it is!” Kyle Durrie, the owner of Power and Light Press, tells Style. “I thought, ‘I’ll post this bag and maybe I’ll sell 100 orders.’ I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen.”

In order to keep up with the high demand of this “statement bag” — she’s been working from 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. over the last week — production will be handled by another print shop, while the order fulfillment will be handled on the premises of her operation.

Durrie’s reason for creating the tote bag is simple: Being a female business owner who employs four women, she and her team felt that selling this item in the name of Planned Parenthood was a way to “round out the year and prepare for the incoming administration,” she states. “It just seemed like a way we could use our abilities, as makers, to make something good happen.”

While she is in awe of the amount of positive attention her creation has received, she does have one regret. In the initial design, the text on the bag stated that Planned Parenthood is a place for a woman to have a mammogram.

“As soon as it started going viral, I received a lot of comments saying, ‘You may want to check that out, that might not be factually correct,’” explains Durrie. “I did my research before designing the bag, but it was something I misunderstood. Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms. They provide referrals for mammograms, but they provide breast exams. This issue is so divisive that any factual inconsistency can add fuel to the fire. It was a small thing, but a big deal.”

The wording on the bag has been changed, and everyone who has placed an order will receive the correct version.

Her original goal was to have the totes delivered to her customers by the third weekend in January — in time for Inauguration Day (January 20) and the Women’s March on Washington (January 21). “Though now it’s pretty unlikely since it’s going to take a little while longer to fulfill the orders than anticipated,” says Durrie. “But it should be in everyone’s hands by the end of January, for people who have placed their orders so far.”

Overall, Durrie — who will continue to make donations to Planned Parenthood on a monthly basis or every couple of months, “depending on how the numbers work out” — hopes the popularity of the tote bag will improve the dialogue regarding this organization.

“It’s villainized as an abortion provider, but I’m trying to change the narrative around it and to educate people that they offer other important health services in addition to abortions.”

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.