Project PEACE: Handbags for the Homeless

Have a purse at home you don't want? Well, I saw this really awesome idea online that I'm SUPER excited to try- "Handbags for the Homeless" or "Blessing Bags". Basically you take your old pocketbooks, purses, or hand-bags and fill them up. Similarly to a goodie bag, you can put basic yet essential items in there- toothpaste, toothbrush, a snack bar, hand-cream, socks and gloves.

A lot of people tend to neglect the fact that women living out on the streets of New York City still get their periods. Pads and tampons are an essential item for any woman who gets her period, but when you are homeless, having these items readily available, and in quantity may be seen as a luxury.

As for homeless men, I can give away a few old drawstring bags I have collected over the years from various clubs and events. I could easily fill a bag or three with chapsticks, an old beanie, nail clippers, band-aids, and hand wipes.

Now that I'm back home from school, it's time that I go through all of my winter clothes, shoes and accessories again. Every year, I end up donating it all to an organization of my choosing. Between my mother, sister and I... we are able to accumulate a bag as big as St. Nick's. I'm almost 22 and the handbags I was using back in middle school are not the same bags I use now. They are beyond old and I have no use for any of them. Other bags are a bit raggedy and have been sitting in my closet collecting dust over the years. Since I'm no longer using them, why not help out someone else? I'm very fortunate and blessed. However, not everyone has the same good fortune. I can only hope that others would be able to take time out of their hectic and busy lives to do something good for someone else.