SHE Leads Purse Project

Donate to the SHE Leads Purse Project!

SHE Leads Group's mission is women supporting women in any way possible. For our members, that means supporting heart & enterprise®. Heart is our families, or anything near and dear and personal to us. Enterprise is our business or career.

For our community, that support comes in the form of SHE Leads Group members giving back in a BIG way every year with our annual SHE Leads Purse Project - A community service project to give back to the community!

The SHE Leads Purse Project:

The SHE Leads Purse Project started in 2020 in Denver, CO and expanded into the Charleston, SC area in 2023. Every year SHE Leads Group members collect and donate new and gently used purses filled with personal care and hygiene items for women who are victims of domestic violence or are otherwise homeless. In 2023 the program started expanding to other regions of the country where SHE Leads Group has a presence. In the Denver region 24 shelters were served in 2024. SHE Leads Group members deliver these purse care packages to shelters. Some shelters are women residences, and other shelters are drop-in. We provide purses to as many shelters as possible every year.

• In 2020 we collected 70 purses (exceeding our goal of 60)
• In 2021 we collected 240 purses (exceeding our goal of 150)
• In 2022 we collected 605 purses (exceeding our goal of 500)
• In 2023 we collected 843 purses (exceeding our goal of 750) in Denver. In Charleston, SC, new SHE members embarked on this project for the first time and collected and donated 76 purse care packages.
• In 2024 we collected 905 purses (exceeding our goal of 810) in Denver. In Charleston, SC, members collected and donated 620 purses to 15 organizations.

Hundreds of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars in generous donations, by not only our SHE Leads Group members, but also the community at large make this project possible. And your word-of-mouth and donations make it possible to grow every year. Thank you!

How to donate:

During our purse project collection season (September through November), we have drop-off locations. Outside of those months, we typically do not accept donations, although exceptions can be made to do a pickup for larger donations.

• Donate a gently used purse that meets our guidelines below. It can be filled with items listed below, or we also accept empty purses.
• Donate just filler items if you don't have a purse. See items below that we accept for donations.

Charleston, SC Region: The SHE Leads Purse Project collection season runs September-December. If you have a large donation, contact SHE Leads Group Regional Director, Julie Ellis at julieelliscoaching@gmail.com.

Purse Guidelines:

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

Purse Fillers (all these items below 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
• 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

Amazon Wish List for bulk items that can be donated.

Regarding Cash Donations:

Contact the regional director listed above to make a cash donation. We prefer donations from our Amazon wish list that is kept up to date.