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 unhoused. In 2023 the program started expanding to other regions of the country where SHE Leads Group has a presence. Since 2020, More than 4300 purse care packages have been donated in the metro Denver, CO and metro Charleston, SC area. 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.
• In 2025 we collected over 1,000+ purses (exceeding our goal of 905) in Denver. Charleston, SC kicks off the SHE Leads Purse Project September 25, 2025-December 11, 2025.

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!

Kick-Off Event Details

WHAT: 
SHE Leads Group Purse Project Kick-Off Event
SHE Leads members and guests will gather to kick-off the 2025 SHE Leads Purse Project. Networking, silent auction, door prizes, refreshments.

WHEN:
Thursday, September 25, 2025, from 9:30-10:45 a.m.

WHERE:
Riverbluff Church
5421 Riverbluff Parkway
North Charleston, SC 29420

RSVP: 
Below on the form

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.)
• 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
• 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
• Sunglasses

Ideas for additional items that are nice to have in purses:

• Lotion
• Hand Sanitizer
• Sunscreen
• First-aid supplies
• Q-tips
• Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Aspirin
• Cough drops
• Gum
• Gloves
• Hat
• Sewing kit
• Hair ties
• Hairbrush
• 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: Click here to donate something on our wish list. 

Regarding Cash Donations:

The SHE Leads Purse Project does this work as a not-for-profit project, although it does not have official non-profit status. We do have financial transparency and a treasurer. All work done is 100% volunteer.  Cash donations can be payable with a check or Venmo. Checks can be made payable to “Elizabeth Boen – Purse Project” or Venmo to @Elizabeth-Boen-2 (phone 303-981-1541). When making a donation, please put in the memo if it is for the SC or CO market.