Packing Purses for UnMasked

North Stafford Rotary members donate handbags and hygiene products to stuff for UnMasked, Inc.

North Stafford Rotary 5th Wednesdays are reserved for fun, a way for members to connect and enjoy camaraderie outside of our regular meetings. On the 5th Wednesday in March, we collaborated on a service project with a big impact. Members gathered new and gently used handbags as well as hygiene supplies of all types, including toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, and sanitary products. One member, Roberta, provided the majority of handbags, having solicited donations from her generous neighborhood friends! Within 30 minutes, 48 bags were filled with supplies for local nonprofit UnMasked, Inc. to benefit victims of domestic violence and those experiencing difficult life circumstances.

UnMasked, led by founder Crystal Vessels and a Board of Directors comprising representatives from Planning District 16, was started as a way to serve victims and survivors of domestic violence, whether physical, sexual, emotional, or mental. It quickly shifted from domestic abuse to encompass anyone whose lives had been adversely touched by circumstances where their physical, emotional, or psychological state was affected. 

North Stafford Rotarians were proud to welcome Crystal as she gamely helped pack purses, which we then loaded into her vehicle for transport to the Unmasked distribution center in Fredericksburg.