On Thursday November 3rd 2022 the Rotary Club of Lynn gathered at the Old Tyme restaurant to fill Bags of Hope with personal care items. The collection of bags is for the Jasmine Grace Outreach program, the items are primarily for women.Women who are living on the streets or in programs throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire are given Bags of Hope filled with basic items that we take for granted every day. In collaboration with programs serving women affected by trafficking, prostitution, addiction and homelessness, Bags of Hope is driven by the community. Many different groups of people are donating the items, filling the bags and handing them out! By doing this we let the women know there is a better way, they are treasured people, and that we
are here to help.
Members of the Club donated enough items to fill 40 Purple Bags of Hope. And there were enough items left over to fill four large shopping bags, which were given to the woman running the program in Lynn. The Purple Bags are sort of a trademark for the program. One of the Club members was checking out at a local store and she was asked why she was buying 5 each of a multitude of items. When she explained about the Purple bags, the cashier told her that several years ago she received one of the bags and she was most grateful for the items in them. You never know who you might be helping when participating in something like this.