PITTSBURGH — A local woman is making purses more than just an accessory: She's turning them into a lifeline. Dana Cornelius is working with friends and strangers to help women in need of a purse.
"I saw a friend of mine do this on Facebook. She and her friends got some purses together and filed them with all kinds of great things, and they took them to a local women's shelter," said Cornelius.
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This was the third year Cornelius and her group has packed purses full of items that the women on the receiving end will need.
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"Inside all of the purses are things like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a bar of soap, a washcloth, razors, and notebooks, socks, all kinds of things. Some of them are necessities. Some of them are just nice things for people to have that don't have a whole lot," said Cornelius.
Friends, neighbors and strangers all worked together on Mother's Day to pack up more than 130 thirty purses. The bags were then given to different organizations that help women who often don't have much and may be escaping violence.
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"To see them open it and look inside, [one woman] was crying because there were snacks inside. [Another purse] had makeup in it. Just to see their faces, to know that we are able to do that for so many different women that know nothing but darkness, you know, it's a purse and it's filled with a lot of great things," said Cornelius.
For more information about the Pack a Purse program, visit their Facebook page.