'I wasn’t expecting this bag’: Henrico business helps women in need feel like ‘Queens’ this holiday season

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) - A Henrico boutique is giving back this holiday season to help women in need feel like the queens they are!

Fit For A Queen Curvy Boutique off Parham Road teamed up with Butterfly Babies Ministries to collect items to fill bags for women across RVA.

"Our Fit for a Queen clients brought in their gently used purses,” said Jennifer Hall, an employee at Fit For A Queen. “So, this is actually a Vera Bradley bag."

“Women deserve first-class items, and that was their whole purpose in doing this,” said Joey Matthews, who is helping with distributing the bags.

Throughout the month of November Fit for a Queen collected purses, feminine products and toiletries at the store.

"The donations grew bigger than we could ever imagine,” said store owner Laura Ricker. “They donated enough to fill 70 bags."

"It lined the aisles,” Matthews said. “So now we're just going to hand them out to folks. Some of them will be homeless some of them will be in transitional housing maybe from incarceration."

Several of those bags were dropped off Tuesday afternoon to women at the Real Life Community Center.

"Having the extra money, they really don't have right now, it's just a great way to share some love and really help them through their journey of change," said Sarah Scarbrough, Founder of Real Life Community Center.

Women waiting in line at Shepherd's Way Relief Center Tuesday also got the bag full of surprises with help from Matthews.

"Everybody regardless of their status in life deserves to be treated with dignity,” Matthews said. “This is just one small piece of treating the women that they give these bags to with dignity."

"I was homeless not long ago and I know what it feels like to be out here in the cold," said Veronica Wyatt.

Wyatt has breakfast at the relief center several times a week. She said getting a bag means a lot to her.

"This is a very nice gift,” Wyatt said. “I have a nice bag here and I thank you so much."

Since then, the thank you’s have continued to come.

"I'm excited about the bag I have because it's a lot of good things in there that I need," said Maxine Chase.

"It coordinates with your outfits and makes you feel really special," said another woman.

"I did not expect to be here watching the women receive the bags, so it's just a wonderful experience," Hall said.

Matthews picked up the bags from Fit For A Queen on Giving Tuesday (Dec. 3) and is still in the process of distributing the bags to women across the Richmond area.

“It’s all about spreading love,” Matthews said.

“Thank God I came down here because I wasn’t expecting this bag and I’m so happy,” Chase said.

“It just warms my heart," Hall said.

Ricker said she and others are already tossing around ideas for 2020 to make this a bigger effort.

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