Domestic violence shelters in Valley gifted handbags full of essentials, love

The items inside the handbags that DHR Health donated to domestic violence shelters in the Rio Grande Valley were largely comprised of feminine hygiene products, such as toiletries including razors, toothbrushes and body wash but also some perfume, hair brushes and manicure sets — plenty of what someone needs to feel good about themselves.

It’s the love within those bags and behind the gesture, however, that shelter representatives said means more to their clients — many of whom are women escaping abusive and traumatic circumstances, who are fighting to achieve independence, and who often only require the warmth of a gentle soul.

That warmth came in the form of 200 handbags that DHR Health employees donated to Friendship of Women in Brownsville and the Family Crisis Center in Harlingen on Thursday, donations which were met with gratitude.

Also attached to the handbags, themselves a gift as many were purses and totes, were handwritten notes of encouragement and uplift — just some positive words from one person to another in need.

One note read, “You are not alone. You are seen. We are with you.”

DHR Health, whose employees in Edinburg and Brownsville donated to the cause together with members of the community, called it their “big bag project.”

Daisy Lopez, director of operations at Friendship of Women, called it “an unexpected surprise.”

“During the holidays we know that our community rallies to provide gifts for children that receive services from us, and sometimes in that mix moms and women get overlooked,” Lopez said. “It’s a different level of excitement and joy when we can provide those donations to women, to moms, and they just really light up because they’re not expecting that. They’re expecting gifts for children; they’re not expecting it during the holidays. It’s an unexpected surprise.”

The effort was equally rewarding for the local hospital system, which has one of just two Level 1 trauma centers in South Texas.

According to Dr. Alexandria Escobedo, the program coordinator at DHR Health who headed the big bag project, it’s the least they can do to help.

“At DHR Health we believe in helping our community and patients holistically and certainly there is a need to help families in these types of situations, so this is a small way that we can help them and our community out,” Escobedo said.

Jacklyn Medrano, the director of community education at the Family Crisis Center in Harlingen, referred to the donation effort as “an amazing contribution.”

She pointed to the experiences many of the center’s clients seek shelter from that leave them traumatized, but kind gestures such as the handbag donation together with the resources her agency provides go far in empowering them.

“They come from broken homes and some of them may not have that independence, and probably they may have gone through an abusive relationship and have that trauma inflicted upon them and their family, so (this is) something of great value and worth to help them get encouraged to get out of these type of situations,” Medrano said. “We are extremely grateful to DHR for considering our agency and our clients and giving them that opportunity to gain some self-worth … to embrace them.

“It’s an amazing contribution to our clients and even to our agency to see our community come together for support. And I know our clients are going to be extremely grateful to receive these gifts.”

Veronica “Roni” Yunes, DHR Health’s director of public media relations and corporate communications, said more handbags will also be donated to Mujeres Unidas in the beginning of the new year, recognizing that the McAllen-based nonprofit organization — like its counterparts which received donations Thursday — provides a vital service to the Valley community.

Alma Guerrero, community education coordinator at Mujeres Unidas, explained how those handbags will be distributed and how they help.

“I think that’s great for our shelter’s clients because a lot of the women that are coming into our shelter are victims of domestic violence. They sometimes come with nothing and they and their children even need shoes sometimes,” Guerrero said. “Donating to them … helps them become more independent. We have a separate store called Frida’s where items from the store are given to ex-clients or (current) clients for free, (such as) purses, work clothing for women who are becoming independent and clothing to go out for an interview and things like that.

“I think all those things are essential to helping those women become independent and live a violence-free life. So they will go directly to that.”

These agencies have long serviced the Valley, in each case for decades.

Friendship of Women established in Brownsville in 1977 and now helps as many as 600 to 800 women and children each year with shelter and support.

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You can find it at 95 E. Price Road in Brownsville or call their 24-hour crisis hotline at (956) 544-7412. A victim advocate always answers to provide support for domestic violence, sexual violence or other traumatic circumstances.

The Family Crisis Center, which is located at 616 W. Taylor Ave. in Harlingen, has been in operation since 1981 and helps as many as 400 people each year. All its services, which range from sheltering to counseling to legal help and support groups, are free and confidential and available to the public, including those who may be in the country illegally but are still in need of help.

They also have a crisis hotline reachable by calling (866) 423-9304, and they have an office in Willacy County as well.

Mujeres Unidas also has two offices, with the main location being at 511 N. Cynthia St. in McAllen and the satellite office located at 420 N. 21st St. It’s been open since 1978 when it started as a two-bedroom apartment for domestic violence victims to stay. Today, Mujeres Unidas assists countless women in need of their services, which are available by calling the main office at (956) 630-4878 or the satellite office at (956) 664-2826.

There’s also a 24-hour hotline at (800) 580-4879, or visit www.mujeresunidas.org to find information on volunteerism, donations and services. The nonprofit can additionally be found on Facebook and Instagram.