Accepting the Handbags of Hope donation are WRCNM staff Danielle Ross, Leslie Turovaara, Lisa Devergilio and Jackie Bobcean of Handbags of Hope, Sue Bissell and Gail Kloss.

Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) received dozens of fully stocked purses from Handbags of Hope, a project created in Southeast Michigan.  The donation coincided with Mother’s Day and will benefit survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault at the WRCNM’s Safe Home and in the counseling program.  Handbags of Hope organizers make purse deliveries twice a year to domestic abuse programs and women’s shelters throughout Michigan.  The WRCNM has been a regular stop on the bi-annual donation circuit.

This particular statewide delivery included more than 1,000 purses filled with everyday essentials and comfort items such as a wallet, toothbrush, hairbrush, moisturizer, nail file and deodorant.  The purses are helpful to survivors, especially those who have been in highly controlled relationships and may not have owned a purse, as well as for those who arrive at the Safe Home in haste without having had the opportunity to bring personal possessions.

“It’s fun to put the purses together and I really like to make the deliveries, myself,” said Jackie Bobcean who started Handbags of Hope several years ago with childhood friend Lisa Devergilio.  Because they now collect, fill and deliver more than 3,000 handbags a year, the two women depend heavily on volunteers and the generosity of donors.

Last year the WRCNM’s Safe Home provided refuge to 135 survivors of domestic abuse and their children.  The agency also provided support, counseling and advocacy to an additional 529 domestic abuse survivors and 312 sexual assault survivors.  The purses donated by Handbags of Hope help provide these survivors with a little bit of hope as they work to rebuild their lives.

For information on WRCNM programs and services, call their administrative office at 231-347-0067 or visit the agency’s website at wrcnm.org.