In less than two years, the Purple Light Project, named for the Purple Pod in the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department where behavioral health patients find care, has addressed a variety of basic life needs for thousands of people across the state.

Here’s the impressive tally of help offered through the Purple Light Project:

  • 600 meals for 200 patients
  • 1,000 blankets
  • 30 writing journals for youth
  • 12 chest binders for transgender youth
  • 600 pairs of earbuds as a reward for attending AA/NA meetings
  • 50+ packages of underwear
  • 150+ pairs socks
  • 20 pairs of anti-slip shoes for patients in older adult unit
  • 5 weighted blankets for the Natchaug inpatient unit
  • 1 tent for a man living in a tent community
  • 1 pair of hearing aids ($3,000) for a woman who lost hers and needed group therapy
  • 100+ hats
  • 24 new jackets for the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department
  • 30 pairs of shoes for patients being discharged

In addition, the Project has purchased: cleaning wipes for the homeless; fidgets for patients in the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department; thermal blankets and hand warmers; sweatpants; sweatshirts; and games, decks of cards, art supplies, and coloring books for inpatient units. Learn more about Erika Moura, the woman behind the Purple Light Project, on page 38.