‘Purse Project’ helps domestic violence survivors, unhoused women

Alliyah Sims
·4 min read

LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — If you have an extra purse or two, the Purse Project would love to take them off your hands.

Organizers behind the local project are gathering purses for unhoused women. The “She Leads Group” is a women’s organization of women business owners.

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When the word purse is mentioned, some people may think about fashion accessories and others may think about name brands. For Boen, purses mean hope.

“When a woman receives one of these purses it just brightens their day,” founder Beth Boen said.

The Purse Project, now in its fifth year, collects purses and fills them up with feminine hygiene products.

“We’ll have some pads, there’s a feminine wipe, some tampons and some panty liners. So, everything a woman needs is right in there for her,” Boen said.

Members then donate them to shelters and safe havens for women experiencing homelessness, some of whom are escaping dire situations like domestic violence.

“So, last year we did 20 shelters and over 800 purses,” Boen said.

This exceeded their goal of 750 purses, and this year’s goal is 810 purses.

“Our list grows, which means our need for purses and supplies grows also,” said Boen.

The purses are a step to getting the women back on their feet.

“Every woman gets to draw a number, and then they pick a purse, based on their number order, off of the table. So, if there are 25 women there, we have 30 purses on the table, and we bring more than what they have there so that the last woman still has something to choose from,” Boen said. “Every purse is stuffed with the same thing, so literally all they have to do is look at the purse and say, ‘Oh that’s my style.’”

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The group wants to support all women, one purse at a time.

“They know that somebody is thinking about them and that they cared about, and that just really can change their outlook,” Boen said.

The kick-off event will be held on Tuesday, May 14, at the Sky Pointe Retirement Resort in Littleton. The event will start at 8:45 a.m.

“We are expecting about 100 women. There’s no cost to attend this free networking event. All that we ask if they come to the network event is that they bring a purse whether it’s filled or several purses unfilled,” said Boen. “In our storage unit, we have 300 empty purses. We don’t give away the designer purses, we actually use them as a way of fundraising. At our Tuesday event, we’ll have a silent auction for the designer purses, and that helps raise money to get the filler to go inside the purses.”

What kind of purses can you donate?

Here are the guidelines for purses the group needs:

  • Only gently used or new. No tears, no stains, no cigarette odor, no broken fasteners/zippers, no peeling leather/vinyl.

  • The purse needs to be large enough to fit in all the personal items in which we try to fill each purse. (See minimum list of personal items below.)

  • No tote bags without fasteners. All purses need to have fasteners to close the purse, so items do not fall out of the purses.

  • In an effort to be equitable, designer purses will not be given to homeless women. If designer purses are donated, we will use them for a silent auction to raise money for purse fillers.

How you can help migrants in Denver

Purse fillers

All these items can be found at a dollar store and can be full or trial size.

Minimum requested for each purse:

  • Shampoo/Shampoo bar

  • Conditioner

  • Hand sanitizer or antibacterial wipes

  • Lotion

  • Deodorant

  • Toothbrush

  • Toothpaste

  • Dental floss or flossers

  • Feminine hygiene items

  • Pair of socks

  • Bar of soap

  • Nail clipper & fingernail file

  • Lip balm/chapstick

  • Razor

  • Kleenex/tissue

Ideas for additional items that are nice to have in purses:

  • Sunglasses

  • Sunscreen

  • First-aid supplies

  • Q-tips

  • Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Aspirin

  • Cough drops

  • Gum

  • Gloves

  • Hat

  • Sewing kit

  • Hair ties

  • Hairbrush/comb

  • Rain poncho

  • Hand and/or foot warmers

  • Deck of cards

  • Writing pad

  • Word search/crossword puzzle books

  • Flashlight with batteries

  • Cologne, perfume, or body spray

  • Something to make a woman feel special (jewelry, makeup, nail polish, etc.)

Some things not to include:

  • Alcohol-based mouthwash or cough syrup

  • Self-defense items

  • Expired non-perishable items

  • Nut products

  • Matches/lighters

  • Supplements/vitamins

For more information, visit the She Leads Group website.

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