By Mike Finney

DOVER — It was 12 years ago when Joanne Downer picked up some fabric samples at a yard sale for her mother, Jessie Moore — something to keep her mind off her recovery from breast cancer surgery.

It turned out that Ms. Moore, who passed away at age 90 in 2018, found comfort in making tote bags out of those upcycled fabrics.

And when she decided to place inspirational messages inside each of them, “Jessie’s Bags” was created.

Nowadays, Ms. Downer is the one finding the positives by creating the bags and keeping her mother’s project — and spirit — alive.

“It was something (my mother) started because she was a breast cancer survivor,” Ms. Downer said. “It was her therapy at that point in time to be able to encourage other folks who were also going through a similar struggle.

“I think that it’s a positive in such a negative world, and I think I want to still be a part of a positive force.”

Ms. Moore donated her Jessie’s Bags to breast cancer survivors, but Ms. Downer said the reusable shopping sacks have gotten so popular that she has expanded their reach.

“We drop them off at hospitals, cancer centers, doctor’s offices,” she said. “During COVID, we also did some projects where we were just giving bags away as thank-you gifts to some of the essential workers. We’ve extended our help to share with others something positive.”

Ms. Downer said her mother was quite an inspiration.

“There’s a proverb that says, ‘A joyful heart is like good medicine,’” she said. “That has really proved true for us because she was making so many bags that we ended up giving away the bags, and we decided that we would gift-wrap the bag, and we put a little note of encouragement on it, which might have a Bible verse, something positive, and we would include that, and we decided to start giving them away to breast cancer survivors.

“We didn’t ever really count how many bags she was making, and then in 2014, we did count, and she gave away 100 bags a month — she was sewing that many bags.”

Since losing her mother four years ago, Ms. Downer has had to alter the way her wares are distributed.

“COVID has been a major change for us and set (us) back a little bit because we were going into nursing homes and assisted-living places and helping to fund what we were doing by activities in those locations,” she said. “Since COVID, we have not been able to do that.

“We have been able to get a small grant (from the state) occasionally, and we’re looking to go out into the public and maybe sell a few of the bags now in order to raise some funds.”

Jessie’s Bags uses upcycled and donated fabrics to create one-of-a-kind totes to bring some joy and give comfort to hospital patients and their families during their recoveries. They begin at $20.

Ms. Downer will be bringing her most recent creations to the W3 What Women Want Fest on April 23 at Wild Quail Golf & Country Club in Camden. They can also be purchased here, on Facebook at Jessie’s Bags LLC or by calling 302-273-8976.

She said each has its own unique personality — and message of hope.

“We kind of thought this can grow beyond just the two of us making bags and other volunteers can help us do more,” said Ms. Downer. “That’s what made us spark on the idea of maybe going out and becoming a mobile community service project.

“We’re going to come, and we’re going to bring fabric with us. We’re going to create an event, and you tell us the date, and we’ll come in and bring fabric. You provide the help.”

She added, “All it takes is maybe an hour of time. We get pieces of fabric samples that might have paper on them, and we’ll have to have the paper pulled off before we can use them to sew, or we’ll get them in a book, and we’ll have to get the books pulled apart.”

The ease of the craft allows even lower-functioning patients, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease, to participate.

Ms. Downer said that her mother’s involvement with Jessie’s Bags and the time they spent together was remarkable — and that her spirit lives on through the project.

“I called a switchboard operator (at a hospital) once and asked them to do a bag event, and she said, ‘You know my mom had breast cancer, and she got this bag at a wig shop,’” said Ms. Downer. “She described the bag, and I said, ‘That’s one of Jessie’s bags,’ and she said, ‘My mother cherished that bag.’

“I could tell by the way she said it her mom wasn’t around, and I just thought that was so nice that her mom appreciated it, and she said, ‘I cherish it now.’”