Students at Penn State DuBois are working together on a special service project.

“Purses with Purpose” aims to help women who are homeless or in need by providing them with bags or purses filled with hygiene and comfort items.

Items in the purse also include lotion, lip balm, tissues, gum, candy, and more. The purses and the care items were donated by community members, as well as students, and campus faculty and staff.

Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) students began this special project for the Occupational Therapy Global Day of Service in their Management and Ethics class.

The students will travel to Washington, D.C. in their Civic and Community Engagement class, during their Alternative Spring Break service trip. The students will volunteer at various shelters, public kitchens, and charitable organizations and will distribute the purses to women who are homeless.

“This cross collaboration between two courses is a powerful way for students to work together to alleviate some of the symptoms of homelessness,” said Marly Doty, instructor in Human Development and Family Studies who organizes the ASB trips each year. “Students will deliver these during our outreach runs to shelters and parks in D.C. They really make an impact on the people who receive them.”

Doty hopes to launch a similar drive for men who are homeless with backpacks or drawstring bags and hygiene items.

“This was a great project to make us more aware of what people are facing outside of what we see every day,” said OTA student Jada Palmer.

Spring break at Penn State is scheduled for March 3, through March 9, 2019.