A handbag can hold a phone, a wallet, a set of keys, a favorite lip balm, a snack for a child, or the few things someone grabs when they have to leave quickly. A backpack can carry school papers, a stuffed animal, a change of clothes, or the small pieces of a child’s world when home no longer feels safe.
This June, Texas Advocacy Project is bringing back its annual Handbags & Backpacks for Hope campaign, collecting new purses, tote bags, diaper bags, and backpacks for women, children, and families across Texas. The campaign runs June 1 through June 30 in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas, with a goal of collecting at least 5,000 bags.
Each donated bag is sorted, prepared, and distributed through a statewide network of shelters, clinics, and crisis centers. Before it reaches a survivor, Texas Advocacy Project places a discreet tag inside with the organization’s confidential Legal Line: 800-374-HOPE. That small tag can be the beginning of something much bigger: a connection to free legal services, safety planning, and support for people experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, or human trafficking…