CHICAGO — When the word purse is mentioned, some people may think about name brands. Others may think about fashion accessories. But for Chicago resident Maria Castro, purses mean love. Castro is the founder and CEO of Love Purse, a nonprofit born in 2021 that collects purses, fills them with toiletries and a note of inspiration, and then donates them to shelters and safe havens for women in need, who are often escaping dire situations such as domestic violence or human trafficking. “A lot of times victims leave in the middle of the night with just the clothes on their back, so to be able to …
