'Just unbelievable': Kamloops woman collects 300 purses for shelter

Kamloopsresident Patti Phillipsis blown away by the response to her annual campaign to collect purses filled withsupplies for women living in a shelter in the southern Interior city.

It's Phillips' third and most successful year yet. Last year, she received 65 purses, and this year she collected300.

"This year was just unbelievable. The community of women and business women, oh my gosh, they just came in in droves," said Phillips.

The purses, which are donated to women staying at theEmerald House Emergency Shelter, are filled withitems that women can use on a daily basis, such as hygiene products.

"When it comes to women you go up to any woman and you say another woman needs help and they just jump for it. 'What do we need to do?' and it's done, especially with Kamloops women," Phillips told CBC's Doug Herbert.

Phillips, who is the marketing director for the North Shore Business Improvement Association in Kamloops, says she interacts a lot with people who are homeless, and it inspired her to start theproject three years ago.

"We deal a lot with homelessness and people that are in need and in the last few years especially my heart has gone out so strongly to women in need," she said.

She will also be doing something formen at Easter.

"I just have such a soft spot for them because I never had to deal with anything like that...and I just want to help all that I can."

Truckloads of purses were taken on Friday to Emerald House from the room Phillips was storing them in at Wilson House in Kamloops' North Shore area.

The staff at Emerald House are "so appreciative" of the purses and other things people in the community do to help them, added Phillips.

"They need it so badly," she said.

Even though Phillips is finished collecting purses for Christmas this year, she said she is still getting lots of calls, so she is encouraging people to donate directly to shelters in the city.

"I can't even begin to put into words how much I appreciate everything that the community has done."