The Purse Project--a Mother's Day gift for HOPES families

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Many have plans to show appreciation for the moms in their life, and the staff of the HOPES program at Wright County Public Health are no exception. On May 3, HOPES staff held a fun event for mothers in their program, made extra special with a purse donation HOPES staff are calling “The Purse Project.”

HOPES (Healthy Opportunities for Parents to Experience Success) is a public-health sponsored program for families with young children who need support, whether that be because of financial, health, or other issues. Their mission statement is to promote health, independence, and success for children and families through support and education in a safe and nurturing environment. Later this year, the HOPES staff plans to do a project for dads, but decided early in 2017 that they wanted to do an event for Mother’s Day.

When they heard about a project to donate purses to those who need them, they thought a local version would be a good idea. “Every mom likes to have something special done for her,” said Gayleen Rutherford, HOPES Program Manager.

Staff and community members contributed new and gently used purchases of many different styles, and the program purchased items to add in. “They get to choose a purse of their liking, and we collected all sorts of things you might find in their purse,” Rutherford explained. Examples were lotion, tissues, personal items, and more.

For the full story, see the May 11 edition of the Monitor.