Shop Local in Olympia for Reusable Lunch Sacks

lunch sacks olympia
Leah and Holly choose their favorite back-to-school lunch sacks at Bayview Thriftway.
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By Sara Johnson

lunch sacks olympia
Colorful options will spice up any pack-at-home lunch. Shop local at Ralph’s and Bayview Thriftway stores.

When my mom packed my lunch for me back in the 1980s, she usually tucked it all into a brown paper bag for me to carry off to school. My carrot sticks, apple slices, and peanut butter and jelly sandwich were each sealed up tight in plastic zippered bags, along with a pouch of Capri Sun or a carton of milk.

Now, in 2014, we’re realizing that using throwaway containers for food items is neither environment-friendly (it takes 500-1000 years for a plastic bag to break down) nor cost-effective ($.05 per sandwich bag really adds up over time). Packing fresh food from home is also healthier than pre-packaged, highly-processed options.

Thurston County’s recent implementation of the Plastic Bag Ordinance shows that reusable bags are not simply a trend, but are here to stay. I’ve been carrying my own cloth grocery bags to the store for years. Among the environmental benefits, I’ve found that reusable grocery bags are much stronger than their plastic cousins, and certainly better looking.

Reusable bags and containers are now spreading into the lunch realm. As a kid, I was so excited to receive my first reusable metal lunch box (Strawberry Shortcake-themed of course). The rest of my lunch was still packed in those ubiquitous plastic zip bags but today, as a mom myself, I am excited that when I pack my own daughters’ lunches, I’ll have so many other reusable—and cute—options to store their carrot sticks.

In Olympia, my favorite place to seek out novel kitchen and reusable items is Ralph’s and Bayview Thriftway stores. As part of our back-to-school preparations, my two elementary school-age daughters and I visited both stores to check out the available options for packing their school lunches. We found a huge variety of products so well-made, good-looking, and durable that I couldn’t imagine stuffing their ham sandwiches in a plastic sack. Most products would be suitable for packing a daily lunch to take to the office as well.

lunch sacks olympiaRalph’s carries zak! lunch sacks which are lightly insulated and decked out with fun themes for kids (5-year-old Holly particularly fell for the Frozen-themed sack). I thought Deco’s Two Tier Tiffin Stackable Lunch Box in stainless steel would be perfect for my husband’s lunch, with two sealed sections just right for tucking in the previous night’s leftovers.

Both stores carry the French Bull PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag line which is pure genius. Not only do the bags come in a variety of bright and trendy patterns, but you don’t need a separate cold pack to stick in the bag to keep your child’s yogurt cold: the entire bag is a cold pack! Stick the sack in the freezer the night before school, fill it up in the morning and lunch will stay crisp and fresh the whole day, up to 10 hours.

lunch sacks olympiaAmber, a member of Bayview’s team, recommends these lunch sacks highly. “My son has one for school and his PackIt lunch bag is still frozen when he brings it home in the afternoon. It really works great,” she says.

The French Bull PackIt line is more than just lunch bags. Thriftway carries the smaller snack and sandwich sizes, along with the large grocery bag size, perfect for hauling ice cream and milk home on hot summer days….or a picnic for the entire family.

So, you’ve picked out your cute, new reusable lunch sack (as Leah and Holly did) but what about packing the food inside it? We’re all familiar with Tupperware and Rubbermaid reusable containers, but the marketplace is coming up with clever ideas that depart from our familiar plastic options.

lunch sacks olympia
Leah and Holly choose their favorite back-to-school lunch sacks at Bayview Thriftway.

Both stores stock the Fuel line of reusable lunch products. My favorite aspect of these was how space-saving each of the Fuel items was, not to mention sporting my favorite green and white color scheme. I found an adult-friendly lunch sack, bento box, snack pockets, sandwich wraps, drink, salad, and soup containers. My girls, on the other hand, were drawn to the bright fruit-patterned Lunchskin sandwich and snack bags, perfect for packing those carrot sticks.

Thriftway also carries the BPA-free Sistema line which is designed and made in New Zealand. These containers are an affordable high-quality option with securely locking tops. They come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes including the clever Breakfast To Go pack, ideal for a morning yogurt and granola.

For families looking for plastic-free options, Thriftway is stocking a number of stainless steel and glass container choices. I found Kuhn Rikon glass storage jars at Ralph’s, ideal for safely reheating contents in a microwave. Bayview stocks the U-Konserve and Kids Konserve line, stainless steel food containers in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. These well-made, non-leaching, non-toxic containers will surely last for years.

It’s nice to know that finding reusable lunch-packing options for both work and school is not difficult. It’s as easy as a trip to one of our local, family-owned grocery stores. The hard part may only be overcoming the desire to collect them all.

 

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