In December of 2020, Michelle Brown of the Gospel Tabernacle Church and her team of generous volunteers; the young and the old, created 43 handbags for survivors. Their project: Handbags of Hope. Each purse had a purpose to give hope, provide a few necessities, and some luxuries as gifts from the heart. Armed with hygiene products, small gifts, and a hope note, each survivor met the handbag with a smile and a grateful heart. One survivor stated getting to choose a purse that spoke to them was empowering and they were truly blessed to have such a wonderful community that truly cared about them. Michelle has stated it was her intention for each survivor to feel loved while meeting some basic needs during the holiday season as this is a difficult time for many individuals. “I was inspired to donate during the holidays because I wanted the survivors to know someone cared about them. I heard of another organization doing a similar project and wanted to implement it within our charity program. I decided to name the project handbags of hope because it's a gift of the soul.” Her favorite part of the project was shopping for items and picking out the perfect purse! “We wanted to bring a smile to their hearts. Its humbling to know the gifts given in love are touching the survivors' hearts.” A few survivors have been so deeply moved by Michelle’s Handbags of Hope they have anonymously sent “thank you” cards to Michelle at her church. “The kind words are deeply touching and heartfelt! We didn't expect the thank you notes. Their thoughtfulness is appreciated.” DVCC has been generously touched by the thoughtfulness and creativity of supporters like Michelle. Kindness like this has made the hardships of 2020 more bearable for survivors and the advocates who serve them. We cannot thank you enough.
