By Heather Graves
Editor
BROWN COUNTY – The mission of local charity Handbags for Hope is to let women know they are not alone.
“In its simplest form, Handbags For Hope is an organization run by women, to help women who might not be able to help themselves,” Co-founder Kathy Kurowski said.
The effort started in February 2016 by three local teachers – Kurowski, an Ashwaubenon kindergarten teacher, Green Bay West High School teacher Elona Winslow and Bernie Donovan, a speech language pathologist for the Howard-Suamico School District.
The organization collects gently-used purses and fills them with personal hygiene and beauty products for women who might not be in a situation to purchase them themselves.
“The women we donate our handbags to often do not have a lot of control over what is happening in their lives,” Kurowski said. “They may have escaped a dangerous situation, have lost a job or have nowhere to turn.”
All bags are tagged with a forget-me-not flower logo, which Kurowski said holds special meaning.
“I chose the forget-me-not symbol for Handbags for Hope because there are a lot of women who may feel like they are forgotten or overlooked,” she said, “and by giving a purse to someone, I hope they indeed feel like they are not overlooked or forgotten.”
Kurowski said many people often take things for granted.
“The homeless community here in Green Bay is a little hidden,” she said. “I have seen some stuff online where people hand things out in New York and Chicago – it’s visible. Even in Madison, it is very visible. But I know in our area we have (a homeless population), but it’s not as visible, and I wanted to be part of an organization that would give back to that portion of our community.”
Since its inception, Handbags for Hope has given roughly 3,000 purses to women in eight different states.
“While a good majority are given out locally or throughout Wisconsin, people who travel have offered to deliver for us,” Kurowski said. “I have friends who have traveled with their church to Tennessee and Kentucky on mission trips and have taken purses with them. My church, St. John the Baptist, makes a yearly trip to Mississippi and takes hundreds. We were fortunate enough to donate purses this year to the Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy. We not only deliver to shelters in the area, but food pantries as well.
Kurowski said recipients can oftentimes get their food needs met through other organizations, but not necessarily hygiene supplies.
The organization also hands out bags at the block parties/picnics for low/non-income people hosted by the nonprofit Our StreetLights Outreach.
“We are also so fortunate to have Grace Fleming, a retired Ashwaubenon social worker, come to Green Bay a few times a year and (bring back) and deliver large amounts (of purses) to those in need in the Madison area.”
Kurowski said seeing the reactions from the women who receive the purses reminds the founders why they do it.
“We fill a wide variety of bags, and have seen the excitement on the women’s faces when they find the perfect bag to match their style, personality,” she said. “We love that. With our bags, they can regain a little control over something, even if it’s just picking out a bag. Being able to make a choice gives them back a little of their humanity. Our recipients are open-ended. Why never know what the next day is going to bring as far as recipients, donors, people involved.”
Winslow said when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was in awe of how her community came together for her.
“My close friends, the people I work with, did so much for me that it really took my breath away,” she said. “So, any opportunity I have to give to my community is important to me, and this is a wonderful way of giving back.”
Kurowski said the community has been eager to help, not only donating hundreds of used handbags and hygiene items, but also joining in the effort to fill the bags and distribute them.
“We run all on donations,” she said. “We have yet to buy a single purse. If we receive a monetary donation, it is used to buy products that go in the purses.”