Purse Strings Donations

Some view purses as nothing more than fashion accessories to complete an outfit. Purses are more than a style piece, however; they serve as an important tool for the busy, accomplished woman. Women fill purses with all of the items and tools they need to keep themselves going throughout the day. Unfortunately, purses aren’t free. Many teenage girls lack the money to purchase a suitable purse, and often lack the personal care items that go inside them. Without a proper purse, a teenage girl cannot truly be ready for everything life has to throw her way. My Girlfriend’s House helps these girls be prepared by supplying them with purses filled with healthcare items through our annual Purse Strings for My Girlfriends Drive.

Through this annual charitable program, My Girlfriend’s House challenges women from across the region to donate gently used and new purses to our program. My Girlfriend’s House also challenges groups and organizations to help us by collecting and then donating large quantities of the items that are used to stuff the purses. Once everything is in one place, we host a huge “purse stuffing party” and then stuff each of the donated purses with up 18 different personal hygiene items.

These “stuffed purse strings” are then donated to 25-30 area shelters, group homes and foster care agencies throughout the DC, VA and MD regions.

During our annual Purse Strings for My Girlfriends Drive, My Girlfriend’s House seeks the help of local businesses, individuals, and the community to collect gently used or new purses and personal care items to distribute to homeless shelters, foster and group homes, and other nonprofit outreach programs in the region. Last year My Girlfriend’s House set a goal of collecting 800 purses in 30 days, but quickly shattered it, raising 1,800 purses total. Our goal is to continue the trend of exceeding expectations — and helping more women — each year.

 

What does this outreach look like?

The Purse Strings for My Girlfriends Program is a year-round program that provides personal care items to teens and women living in varied modes of sheltered living. The Annual Purse Drive officially launches on October 1st and continues throughout the month, ending just in time for a November Purse Stuffing Party. Several drop off locations are offered throughout the region for individuals interested in donating purses or healthcare products. The drive is then completed once all purses are donated to area shelters, with product replenishments occurring year-round as product inventory allows.

  • Annual Purse Drive - Occurs during the month of October
  • Annual Purse Stuffing Party - Occurs during the month of November
  • Annual Purse Distribution to Shelters - Occurs from November until all purses are distributed
  • Year-round replenishment of products - as product inventory permits

What’s inside a purse?

Take a look at some of the items we include in our purse strings:

  • Handbags: gently used or new
  • Dental care: toothpaste, tooth brush, dental floss
  • Feminine care: deodorant, tampons, soap, bath sponge, body lotion, perfume
  • Nail care: nail polish, polish remover, manicure/ pedicure set
  • Hair care: shampoo/ conditioner, comb/brush, shower cap
  • Other necessities: hand sanitizer, slippers, journal, jewelry items

Group Challenge

Do you work for a large company or belong to a large network of female friends? Then we challenge you to step up to the plate and meet our team challenge.

Teams are needed to collect and conduct their own drives for large volumes of products needed for our annual purse drive. Please contact us for a specific product that your team can collect for us and we will send you all the tracking and promotional material needed to launch your personal team drive. Donated products must be collected by mid-October to ensure we have everything we need in time for the purse stuffing. So, please reach out and let us know if you’d like to register your group.

Will you support the Purse Strings for My Girlfriend’s Program?

Each year the number of women and girls impacted by our Purse Strings for My Girlfriends program continues to grow. In our first year, we were able to only collect and stuff 500 purses. By year two we had reached 1,200 purses and in year three we reached 1,800 purses! There’s no telling how far we can go next year with your help!

Do you have items you would like to donate? Please contact us with the number of personal care items you have to donate. You can also sponsor a purse stuffed with love for just $25. Just let us know how many purses you can sponsor and we will arrange for the shopping.


Number of Purses to Sponsor