Purses and totes filled with personal care and feel-good products will be distributed soon to homeless women in Rochester by way of The Esther Project and its Seventh Annual Purse Project.

Cheryl Snead has a heart of gold. She does what she can to help homeless women in our community feel special, hopeful and loved with the gift of a new purse.

What You Need To Know

  • The Purse Project provides purses packed with full-sized hygiene products to homeless shelters and youth centers to support women and teens experiencing homelessness

  • The Esther Project was founded in 2016 to provide safe and affordable housing to women coming out of shelters

  • In 2022 women accounted for 38% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

“I mean look at this, I mean full-size products not travel sizes,” said Snead, founder of the Esther Project's Purse Project. “The whole purpose of this is we want to bless these ladies.”

Snead’s Purse Project collects and distributes new and gently used purses packed with pamper-me products for women at more than a dozen shelters and other support agencies.

“When you’re homeless, I get real emotional when I talk about the ladies,” Snead said. “When you don’t have a home, the last thing you think about is buying a purse.”

Brighton, a family-owned accessories store with a location at Eastview Mall just had to help. It’s one of about a dozen purse donation drop-off locations for the Purse Project around Greater Rochester.

“Cheryl came in and we started talking and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh Lucy said you have to meet this wonderful woman.’ We just made it happen,” said Lisa Phelps, store manager at Brighton.

The first year of the Purse Project included 165 purse donations. It’s best year so far was 700 donations.

“I am believing for 1,000 bags,” Snead said. “One thousand purses just stuffed with love and ready to give out to some of the most amazing organizations that I partner with. The need is there and the need is great and we want to be able to a dent in that need.”

Packed purses can be dropped off at Grace Covenant Church in Chili, Faith Church in Brighton, Harvest Bible Fellowship in Henrietta, Bethel Express at Brighton Presbyterian, Tree Town Cafe in Penfield, Kittelberger Florist in Webster, New Beginnings Church of Life in East Rochester, Vera Bradley at Eastview, Brighton at Eastview and Westside YMCA. 

A Purse Donation Day is planned for Sept. 16 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and each of the purse collection locations. Shelters and service agencies will pick up and distribute the purses that week.

The Esther Project works with agencies to help women transition from homeless shelters to their own homes.