Texas Advocacy Project's Handbags & Backpacks for Hope Returns to Support Abuse Survivors Across Texas
For many Texans escaping an abusive situation, leaving often means doing so with little more than the clothes they are wearing. In those critical moments, something as simple as a handbag, backpack, tote, or diaper bag can provide not only a place to carry essentials, but also a connection to safety, support, and a path forward.
Throughout June, the Travis County Sheriff's Office is once again partnering with Texas Advocacy Project (TAP) for the annual Handbags & Backpacks for Hope campaign, a statewide effort that collects new bags for survivors of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. The initiative runs from June 1 through June 30, 2026, with donations distributed through shelters, hospitals, clinics, and crisis centers across Texas.
The campaign's impact extends far beyond the bags themselves. Each donated item is equipped with a discreet tag featuring Texas Advocacy Project's Legal Line, 800-374-HOPE, along with a QR code connecting survivors to free legal and social services that can help them secure protection, stability, and independence.
Why This Campaign Matters
When survivors leave dangerous situations, they often do so quickly and under difficult circumstances. Having access to a bag that can hold personal belongings, important documents, medications, baby supplies, or clothing can make an immediate difference.
But the true purpose of the Handbags & Backpacks for Hope campaign is connection.
Every donated bag serves as a quiet lifeline, helping survivors learn about resources available to them through Texas Advocacy Project, one of the state's leading organizations providing free legal and social services to victims of abuse.
According to Texas Advocacy Project, the need remains significant across the state. The organization reports that one in three Texans will experience domestic violence during their lifetime. Domestic violence is also recognized as a leading cause of homelessness among women and children in the United States.
A Texas Tradition of Hope Since 2008
The campaign's roots stretch back nearly two decades.
Since 2008, Texas Advocacy Project has used donated bags as a way to place critical information and resources directly into the hands of survivors. What began as the organization's original "Handbags for Hope" initiative evolved over time to meet changing needs.
In 2019, the program expanded to hospitals, helping survivors of sexual assault leave with dignity and practical support. In 2021, diaper bags were added to reach expectant mothers and caregivers, recognizing that pregnancy can be a period of heightened vulnerability for domestic abuse victims.
At the same time, TAP's separate "Backpacks for Hope" initiative focused on children living in shelters, providing new backpacks and access to resources for families experiencing violence.
Today, both efforts have merged into a single statewide campaign designed to support survivors of all ages and life circumstances.
Whether the recipient is a parent preparing for a new baby, a survivor leaving a hospital, or a child starting over in a new community, each bag represents more than a donation. It represents a fresh start.
How Texans Can Help
Community members have several ways to participate in the 2026 Handbags & Backpacks for Hope campaign.
Residents can donate new handbags, tote bags, diaper bags, and backpacks at official public drop-off locations in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and beyond. Collection partners can also organize workplace drives, community collection events, neighborhood fundraisers, or private donation campaigns.
Organizations interested in becoming collection partners can register through Texas Advocacy Project and serve as official drop-off locations during the month-long campaign.
Volunteers are also needed to help prepare donations for distribution by attaching discreet resource tags to each bag before they are shipped across the state. Volunteer opportunities are tentatively scheduled between June 28 and July 15.
For those unable to shop or collect items, monetary contributions help cover shipping and distribution costs, ensuring donations reach survivors throughout Texas.
Supporting Survivors Through Free Legal and Social Services
Founded in 1982 by a group of young attorneys, Texas Advocacy Project began as a legal hotline and has grown into one of the state's most comprehensive organizations serving survivors of abuse.
Today, TAP works to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, and human trafficking through free legal representation, social services, public education, and advocacy.
The organization's services help survivors obtain protective orders, address child custody concerns, terminate parental rights of abusers when appropriate, and navigate housing, employment, educational, and financial challenges that often accompany abuse situations.
The scope of the need is reflected in the organization's recent numbers. In 2023, TAP received more than 10,000 calls and online requests through its Legal Line. In 2025, the organization closed 6,239 individual cases affecting more than 14,000 victims of violence across Texas.
Texas also continues to face significant challenges related to human trafficking and stalking. According to TAP, Texas ranks second in the nation for reported human trafficking cases, while studies show that stalking frequently precedes intimate partner homicide cases.
What Happens Next
As donation barrels begin filling across Texas throughout June, organizers hope the community once again demonstrates its commitment to helping neighbors facing some of life's most difficult circumstances.
For survivors receiving these bags, the contents may be simple. The message they carry is not.
Each donated handbag, backpack, tote, or diaper bag delivers something survivors often need most during a moment of crisis: a reminder that they are not alone, that help exists, and that a safer future is possible.
Residents interested in donating, volunteering, becoming a collection partner, or finding a public drop-off location can visit the Texas Advocacy Project's Handbags & Backpacks for Hope campaign page at texasadvocacyproject.org/handbags-backpacks-hope during the month of June.
As communities across Texas come together to support survivors, the campaign serves as a powerful reminder that even small acts of generosity can help open the door to safety, healing, and hope.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more community initiatives, nonprofit partnerships, and opportunities to make a difference across Texas.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.