'Purses With A Purpose' Program Provides Help To Women In Need

WINNETKA, IL — The “Purses with a Purpose” program aims to provide encouragement through self-esteem for women in local domestic violence shelters and women’s shelters.

Junior League of Evanston-North Shore members gathered last weekend in Winnetka to fill 286 purses that have been collected over the last six months.

The purses were filled with toiletries, also collected from the community, vouchers for the JLE-NS Thrift House in Evanston and Inspiration cards hand written by Lifestyle Specialist, Maisha Wynn. Volunteers distributed the purses on March 3 to women in local women’s shelters and domestic violence shelters throughout the greater Northshore.

JLE-NS is pleased to support the following agencies through Purses with a Purpose; A Safe Place, WINGS, Floured Apron, Waukegan Township Staben House, and Howard Area Community Center.

Many community partnerships were created during this project; purses and toiletries were collected through Make a Difference Day and the Volunteer Center, Northview Dental Associates, Randoons, Sunset Ridge School, The Women’s Exchange, and countless JLE-NS members and individuals in the community.

These women are fleeing harmful situations, and many are left homeless. Through this program JLE-NS provides them with a purse filled with necessities and hopefully a bit of encouragement through boosting their self-esteem, the ability to have new items, and words of aspiration. Each shelter expressed extreme gratitude and acknowledged that the purses would mean so much to the women.

As Susan B. Anthony said, “every woman should have a purse of her own”.

» Photos and information via Junior League of Evanston Northshore