St. Johns By The Lake Anglican Church held the 6th annual Helping Handbags event on November 26th, where they collect different products for women, and then the purses filled with the products are donated to both the Huron Women’s Shelter and the Middlesex/London Victim Services.
Lisa Gumb, the creator of the event, said that this year they collected 130 handbags, and they also brought men of the community into the event, asking them to donate toys for kids who may be in these situations with their mothers. Gumb created this event after a friend was a victim of domestic violence.
Each year the program has grown, and Gumb wants it to continue to grow. Each year they hold the event in November because November is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
She added that even though this years event has past, they are always collecting for the next year, so if you at any point want to donate, it will be stock piled to the next year.
If you are interested in donating, you can contact Lisa Gumb at 519-281-5680 or the church at 519-709-5171