Donated Purses Hope to Inspire Women at YWCA
There's a Mother's Day effort to give thousands of new and gently used purses to women and mothers in need. It's called "The Power of a Purse".
Nationwide, chapters of the group, “Mothers and More”, spent weeks collecting purses from the community. Locally, volunteers delivered 420 purses and diaper bags to women at the YWCA in Rochester.
“The purse symbolizes a woman's economic power,” said Liz Salamone, Mothers & More Rochester Chapter. “It is something we wish for all women and we hope that this will help raise awareness.”
The YWCA will distribute the purses to its clients. The Rochester YWCA serves more than 700 women a year and also some 250 teenage mothers.
"The power of the purse is so meaningful because it is not just about having a purse at your side but getting women ready for the world; women who struggled with employment,” said Jean Carroll, YWCA Executive Director.
Gail Neals helped unload and sort the purses. She says she’s lived at the YWCA for three years.
"All of the programs that are here have been very good for me. This is like living in heaven here--for me it is,” said Gail Neals, YWCA client.
The national effort is on its way to collecting and delivering 10,000 purses by Mother's Day.
Mothers & More Rochester