WYOMING, Mich. — Most people call them volunteers. Denise Kolesar calls them her "Purse Project elves."
Whatever you want to call them, people packed Marge's Donut Den on 28th Street on Tuesday night. Now that the community has shown up for people experiencing homelessness, it's time for these "elves" to get to work.
We first told you about the meaning behind the Purse Project on Monday. Denise started the effort in memory of her sister who died homeless in California nearly 30 years ago. Denise turned her grief into something good by collecting donated purses and backpacks stuffed full of essentials.
On Tuesday night, the final tallies were in. Purse Project 2023 managed to collect 98 stuffed purses, 82 stuffed backpacks, 40 pairs of pajamas, and 17 pairs of slippers. Since the Purse Project started, it has collected 1,496 purses, 653 backpacks, and 232 pairs of pajamas.
"It's a very gratifying feeling, because I know that the people who come to Dégagé Ministries are going to maybe get a new pair of pajamas and a pair of slippers. The people who go to Mel Trotter are going to get a backpack or a purse, and it's going to be stuffed with things that they're not expecting," Denise said.
"It's like a little bit of Christmas for them."
Denise said some of the people who came to donate were 13 On Your Side viewers who saw the story and wanted to help. One was a young man who saw the segment with his mother and wanted to fill a few backpacks. Another donated snacks and other items to the cause.
"For those who did help in Purse Project 2023, thank you from the bottom of my heart. We have been doing this project since 2013. Of course, it started out small. And then I got a co-coordinator and partner in crime, Mary Ann Sabo. She stepped in and she does a kickoff party every year, and people have fun with it," Denise said.
Denise is urging anyone who didn't get a chance to help out to consider making a donation to their local shelter.
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