PENNY’S
STORY
Much about Penny remains a mystery. She would not discuss her personal life. She had mental issues. But she was much more than the homeless woman
who appeared each evening at Prescott’s temporary women’s shelter in the winter
of 2008.
We know that she was talkative, sometimes
argumentative and often entertaining.
She enjoyed telling stories about herself: especially about her career
in New York in Fashion. Nothing
specific, just Fashion with a capital F.
She had an eye for designer clothes and searched through the donated
bags of clothing at the shelter for designer labels – sharing some of her finds
with other women guests and volunteers at the shelter. “This vest is YOU, my dear,” to a volunteer
who took a special interest in Penny.
If you
saw Penny downtown during the day, often in a coffee shop, it would not be
apparent that she was homeless. A
character, yes, but homeless, no.
Dressed stylishly, her makeup carefully applied to her tanned and
weathered face each morning before leaving the shelter, a scarf stylishly
tossed around her shoulders, she was one of a number of characters in our
beloved Prescott.
After the shelter closed in early Spring 2008,
Penny was often housed in motels provided by various charitable groups and
caring individuals in Prescott. She
tended to alienate some of those who might have given her more assistance. She wondered out loud “why can’t there be a
safe place for a woman like me, just a room so I won’t have to wonder where
I’ll sleep tonight.” She spoke of being in extreme pain but could not get the
treatment she insisted she needed. She
went downhill quickly in health and vitality and died later that same
Spring. The coroner’s report said she
was riddled with cancer. She was in her
mid-50s. She was buried in Potter’s
Field in Prescott.
This is, however, not the end of Penny’s story.
One thing we know for certain is that Penny was
an artist. She created art from remnants
of tapestries and costume jewelry. She
had no access to a sewing machine or to a room where she could create her
art. She sewed every stitch by hand and
created unique and lovely purses decorated with colorful beads and bangles.
After her death, a volunteer who befriended
Penny happened upon an antique store in downtown Prescott. Penny’s purses were on display and for
sale. The store owner knew Penny and
told of several occasions when, after hours, Penny would bang on the store’s
front door shouting, “I know you’re in there.
Open up. I’ve got purses for you
and I need money.” The store owner
accepted them and Penny went on her way. 
Five of Penny’s Purses have been purchased from
the antique store by women who want to make sure that Penny’s Purses live on to
help other homeless women. Volunteers
will be meeting at the shelter to make purses that are in the spirit of the
original Penny’s Purses and to encourage current guests at the shelter to
participate. All proceeds will be
contributed to the women’s shelter.
Continuing to create purses in her honor and
memory will ensure that Penny’s spirit lives on to help current and future
women guests at the shelter. We are sure
that Penny would be pleased to know that there is now a safe place for women
each night.
Written by Joan Maloney
PRESCOTT AREA WOMEN’S SHELTER (PAWS)
Serving Homeless Women and Their Children
Newsletter writes:
We are all working hard to improve PAWS program for our guests and volunteers.
2) Thanks to the generous Prescott Area community, we are overflowing with donated items at the shelter, and are currently in need of a few very specific items:
- Wal-mart gift cards to buy meals on nights we have no Meal Provider
- A wireless modem for our computer in the community room
- Rolls of quarters to distribute to our guests for their laundry needs
- A humidifier, a small nightstand, ear plugs, paper towels, milk
- Meal Providers
- PAWS Advocates and Night Shift Supervisor volunteers
- Monetary donations for administrative and operating costs such as salary for our Shelter Coordinator and monthly rent
336 N. Rush St. -- Prescott, AZ 86301
www.prescottshelter.org
Phone: 928.778.5933
E-mail: estone@ycvp.org
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