Image Credit: Patti Phillips

By Ashley Legassic

PURSE DRIVE

More than 300 purses filled with the essentials collected for women’s shelter

Dec 16, 2019 | 3:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — It started out as a small project — but it’s grown into a Christmas tradition for women who are less fortunate in our community.

Patti Phillips with the North Shore Business Improvement Association started the Spirit of Giving three years ago in Kamloops, a collection of gently used purses filled with necessities for a woman.

This year was the largest turnout by far.

“The first year I did it I think it was around 20, and then last year was around 65,” Phillips says.

This year’s total was a whopping 300 purses, which will be donated to the women’s shelter at the Emerald House.

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“It’s funny, when you talk to women — as soon as you tell a woman that another woman needs help, they don’t ask… it’s like ‘What do they need?’,” Phillips says. “The women in our community just came out in droves.”

Phillips says most of the women that use the shelter go there with nothing more than the shirt on their back.

“That’s all they have. So these essential items, even a lipstick, it makes them feel human again,” Phillips says.

She says she wasn’t expecting this year’s large turnout when she first started collecting in November, but as more and more people reached out, she knew it would be much more than the numbers seen in years prior.

“I had some women’s groups, a women’s book group would get together and she dropped off 23 purses,” she says. “And then there were some other businesses like Domtar, and Horizon North, and KPMG and all the women got together and they just called me and said ‘Yes we’re all collecting, we need you to come pick up’.”

Phillips says this coming Easter she’s planning on collecting men’s items like pajamas.

“There’s such a need out there and I think there’s so many of us that can give a little, and if everybody gives a little, it gives a lot in the end.”