Woodworking students, volunteer group donate hope chests to women's shelter

Volunteers and residents of Prescott Area Women's Shelter who create and sell purses in memory of Penny, a former shelter resident, teamed up with men taking an advanced woodworking course at Yavapai College to donate 14 hope chests to the Prescott Area Women's Shelter this past week.

Joan Maloney, a volunteer with Penny's Purses, came up with the idea when she saw shelter residents storing their belongings in large plastic tubs.

Maloney spoke with Dennis Peterson, a student in the advanced woodworking course at Yavapai College, about how the women at the shelter would appreciate large chests to put their possessions in while they seek work and go to school each day.

Peterson told course instructor John De Girolamo and the other students in the class about the idea and they decided to make that their charitable work for the semester.

Mark Kann, another woodworking student, said this past semester they made rocking chairs for children at local hospitals and five other non-profits as well.

"The hope chests were funded by Penny's Purses. They deserve the credit. They donated $1,000 they raised from selling their purses to cover our materials," said Darrel Waite, another student in the Yavapai College advanced woodworking course. "We donated 500 hours making the hope chests and $500 in other materials, including locks, to complete them."

The students in the woodworking class carried the hope chests to the shelter April 13.

Prescott Area Women's Shelter director Carmen Frederic thanked the woodworkers and the Penny's Purses group for the lockers.

"The women will be so happy to have a secure place to store their possessions instead of plastic bins. Thank you so much," Frederic said. "Penny's Purses' partnership with the Yavapai College advanced woodworking class is amazing."

The Penny's Purses group meets each week at the shelter to create and sell purses to benefit the Prescott Area Women's Shelter in memory of Penny, a homeless woman who appeared each evening at Prescott's temporary women's shelter in the winter of early 2008.

Penny, a woman in her mid-50s, had worked in the fashion industry in New York when she was younger, Maloney said. While in Prescott, Penny made unique works of art, hand-sewn purses from remnants of material, tapestry and costume jewelry that she sold in area shops. In the spring of 2008, Penny died, Maloney said.

Susan Grandjean, who knew Penny, had bought several of her original purses. Photos of many of them are on the shelter's website at www.prescottshelter.org.

"Penny was quite an artist. She would work at night making purses at the shelter all by hand," Grandjean said. "She would gather materials wherever she could find them. She just had a different vision for each purse."

Handbags created by the Penny's Purses volunteers and shelter residents aren't available at local shops yet, but anyone interested in buying a purse can contact the shelter at (928) 778-5933, said Carol Hyde, a volunteer with the group.

"Volunteers and residents create their own unique designs in the spirit of the purses Penny created by hand," Hyde said. "We will do custom purses as well."

Penny's Purses seeks more volunteers to sew purses and would appreciate donated material, yarn, beads and accents, Hyde said. People interested in helping out can call the shelter, said Alice Staley, a volunteer with the group.

After moving the hope chests into the shelter, many of the woodworkers bought purses for their family members.

The next fundraiser coming up for the shelter will be PAWS for Tea from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 22, at the 'Tis Art Center and Gallery at 105 Cortez Street in downtown Prescott.

"We are selling tickets to the event for $25 per person and that includes tea, snacks, and dessert as well as performances by the Mad Women Poets and other live entertainment," said Erika Stone, outreach director for the Prescott Area Women's Shelter. "Penny's Purses will be for sale there as well."