Julie’s Purse Project is a donation-based project that I started in the fall of 2015.
Being a new mom and using diaper bags more and more I noticed that I had an
abundance of old purses I was no longer using and thought “there must be a way to
re-purpose these purses while helping those in need in our local community.” I don’t
just collect and donate purses; I fill them to the brim with essential items that
recipients would want in their purse if they were starting over with nothing or
homeless. I then donate them to local organizations that assist victims of sex
trafficking, domestic violence and homeless women in the Northern California area.
I started in Sacramento County and have since expanded to Placer, Butte, Yuba, El
Dorado, and Sonoma Counties.

My mission is to give the women who receive one of the purses a boost of
confidence, to empower them, and to let them know that someone cares.
When she goes to her next job interview I want her to be able to carry in her new
Coach purse as opposed to a tattered backpack. Inside each purse I include a small
note that says “I care about your situation. I wish you peace, safety and the kindness
of strangers.”