Abby's Purple Bag Project - Nest Full of New

I really pleased and proud that my friend Kimber over at The Pinning Mama has allowed me to share her post about this amazing young lady!

Meet my friend Abby. She is a little girl with a BIG dreams and an even bigger heart. Sometimes people come into your life so you can bless them, and sometimes they bless you. Even though Abby is only just a kid she is determined to make a difference in this world and has set out to do so! I could tell you about Abby’s Purple Bag Project, but instead,I encourage you to let her tell you herself in a little video she made!

Post by Abby’s Purple Bag Project.

Wow, right?! Abby launched her goal of delivering 1000 purple care bags to chemo patients and to make sure some were delivered in each and every state in mid-November and now here we are mid-January and she only has 15 states and 335 bags left to go! This little lady has already blessed 665 people with purple bags, and countless more in providing instruction, motivation and inspiration to enable them to perform these acts of kindness.

These bags are making a huge impact on chemo patients all over our country. Just listen to some of the responses sent to Abby after the bags were received:

Thank you Abby for your wonderful purple bag. I was new at chemo and didn’t know what to expect. I was so much better prepared and used every single item. My favorite item might be your drawing AND the fact that the world is made of people like you. Thank you for thinking of others and for making a difference in the world. You are proof that we live in a great and beautiful place.

With love,
Paige R — at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.

Dearest Abbey and friends,
My name is Bob and I have advanced prostate cancer. I am currently receiving radiation treatments. I am lucky that I have a lot of support from family and friends. Today I walked in
to Vantage Oncology to receive my treatment and was greeted with my “Purple Bag”. Not only did you bring me a smile but you brought tears of joy to my eyes. Thank you for loving me….

Thanks so much for the wonderful Purple Bag that I received at the VA today. It helped make the chemo process easier and gave me and the others a smile. You rock Abby.

Dear Abby — Today (December 17) I visited the UMC Cancer Center in Tucson Arizona to receive my chemo treatment. ‘Joan’ from the Cancer Center, sat next to me with a Purple Bag and explained to me how you and and your father dropped off several bags to the her to deliver to breast cancer patients. Guess what? She handed me one of your bags!

I love all the ‘goodies’: the lip balm, the writing pad and pen, the word search book, the tissue and all the other wonderful items you included. This is Christmas Time and your gift touched my heart. I’m so glad you entered my life through this purple bag! What a cherished memory you provided.

Thank you — and with warm thoughts, you made my day so nice and bright, the sun could just not compare.

Carol S
Tucson, Arizona

I know that I have personally struggled with how to not only personally give back while being a busy mom of two little ones, but also I have struggled even more with how to show my children the coveted traits of selflessness, generosity, and how to have a genuine and caring heart. As a matter of fact, we talk a lot at our house about having a beautiful heart. But I feel like this is where the rubber meets the road. This is something I can do myself or even with my very small children to show them how to have a servant’s heart. It is very rare I am given the gift of how to to preform a selfless and caring act myself or with my children without having to even having to plan much on my own part. So we are going to seize the opportunity to do this as a family and to help Abby reach her goal! We invite you to join us!

Be creative! Put together purple bags with your kids or your family. Or do it as a playdate with your children’s friends. Have a purple bag party and assemble many bags to deliver with neighbor’s co-workers, friends or family. Make it a cause at your school or organization. All of these aren’t my ideas, but wonderful things that have already been done inspired by Abby’s Purple Bag Project.

So how do you do this? Watch Abby’s video to see her tips. Grab a few bags and fill them with things that make life a little easier for them such as:

Snacks
Water
Juice
Chocolate
Hard candy
Lotion
Chapstick
Tea
Blanket
Antibacterial Hand Gel
Magazines
Puzzle Books
Notes of Encouragement
Hand Drawn Pictures

Then drop them off at a local chemo center in your community.

Some days the world can seem like a sad place, but when you see a spark of hope like Abby, it makes you know that our future is in good hands. Make sure you follow Abby’s Purple Bag Project on Facebook to see her updates on the project and to let her know when you deliver bags in your state. You can also see updates on her blog, or share the message by pinning this post using the pin it button at the top of the post! Also, Abby wants you to know that while the thoughtfulness of donations is greatly appreciated, this project is truly a mission to get people to go out and do things for others.

Let us know in the comments if you want to take part in this project, or what other ideas you have for making a difference in this world with you kids! We would love to hear it!

By Kimber

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