Christmas came early to the women at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope Oct. 22.
As they filed in the dining area for their evening meal, they were invited to stop at another table where they collected a special gift – a designer handbag filled with items such as cosmetics and skin care products, nail polish, hygiene, gift cards and a card with an inspirational message.
“Every purse Is going to have something different,” said Deborah Brooks, who founded Purses Filled with Passion in 2019.
The women took their gift to the tables; their meals shoved aside as the women excitedly peeked inside the bags. They talked to one another and showed each other what they’d received as they sifted through the purses. Their big smiles also spoke.
Brooks doesn’t often have the opportunity to see the recipients of her generosity. She donates them to organizations such as the Cumbee Center for Abused Persons in Aiken and Hope House, where they are distributed as needed. While she hears stories of their smiles, on Wednesday, she saw their reactions firsthand, and she experienced their hugs of gratitude.
“I love sharing love,” said Brooks, who works for Richmond County dispatch.
She started Purses Filled with Passion because she felt God wanted her to do something to help other women. She wasn’t sure what that would look like at first, but things fell into place quickly. She tried to put herself in the shoes of others. What would she like if she was displaced? What things might bring some comfort, some sense of normalcy?
And Purses Filled with Passion was born.
“Passion is about helping others,” she said of the name.
The best part, she said, is that what she does can be replicated easily by someone who wants to make a difference. Anyone can take an idea and make a positive difference in someone’s life, she said. All of the handbags and the items in them were given to her so that she could pass them to others.
Brooks now turns her attention to Christmas and will begin creating purses for other women. To learn more, email deborah.brooks1@yahoo.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
