Purses For A Purpose, Inc.
- Los Angeles Chapter -
visit us and learn more at pursesforapurposela.com
My Story
Hi! My name is Iqra Irfan and I am the Director of the Los Angeles branch and the Secretary of Purses for a Purpose, Inc. I learned about Purses for a Purpose Inc. in early 2020, on the social media platform everyone was using during the pandemic to pass time, TikTok! I was inspired by the viral video our CEO, Shayna Rutman, had posted of a homeless woman laughing with joy after receiving a donated purse in San Diego. (you can see the video on our website's home page!) The video brought a smile to my face and inspired me to reach out to Shayna to start the Los Angeles branch of Purses for a Purpose, Inc.
Los Angeles has a disproportionally large size of homeless people compared to other cities, where it is especially concentrated in parts of Downtown LA (infamously known as Skid Row) and so it felt crucial that a Purses for a Purpose branch was made here.
After learning more about the homeless situation here in Los Angeles and the statistics I came to know about inspired me even further to direct this branch. Did you know that over 95% of homeless women in Skid Row are victims of domestic abuse?
During the summer of 2021, Purses for a Purpose became a 501(c)3 organization, officially recognized by the IRs. We have four branches around the country working towards one common goal: to remind every woman of their value to society.
We thank Downtown Women's Center for receiving our donations and distributing them to the women.
