The Birth of Love Bags!

Imagine you're a housekeeper at a hotel. You've been on your feet since 6 a.m. (or earlier!) You've cleaned a dozen rooms, smiled through a hundred interactions, and you still have hours left in your shift. Most guests walk past you without a second glance and without any appreciation.

And then someone stops, sees you, and hands you a little bag. Inside are things like a face mask, floss, some candy, a vitamin packet, a lip balm, and a card that simply says: you matter.

That's what's in a Love Bag, and Joelle is handing them out everywhere she goes!

Where It All Started

Joelle has spent years traveling, and she's always been the kind of person who notices the people others tend to overlook. The flight attendants, hotel housekeepers, restaurant workers, volunteers, first responders, and more. The people who quiety keep things running smoothly, and are often underappreciated, overworked, and underpaid.

During and after COVID, something shifted for her. She watched frontline workers show up every single day through some of the hardest years any of us can remember, and get met with frustration, impatience, and too often, outright disrespect. Workers who never stopped showing up, even when the world felt like it was falling apart. Putting their lives on the lines for others relentlessly. 

She kept thinking: what if someone just told them thank you? Not in passing. But really, genuinely, in a way they could hold onto?

That question became Love Bags.

Launched in October 2025 through her work with Empower & Shine, Love Bags are small pouches packed with simple feel-good items: face masks, eye patches, lip balm, moisturizer, candy, dental floss picks, Emergen-C packets, and positive affirmation cards and stickers. Many of the bags themselves are printed with uplifting messages.

But Joelle is always quick to point out something important: the bags aren't really about what's inside.

"The bags are not about the items," she says. "They are about recognition."

That distinction matters to her, because this isn't a care package. It's a message, usually hand-delivered and acts as a no-strings-attached reminder to another human being that their work is seen, their effort matters, and someone out there is grateful they showed up today.

Two Dollars Equals Real Impact.

Each Love Bag costs about $2 to make. Joelle funds the project entirely out of her own pocket because she believes in it and has seen the positive impact that it brings others. And in less than a year, she's distributed approximately 1,400 Love Bags! That's 175 people a month, 43 people per week, and about 6 people per day. Crazy impressive!!

1,400 people who got to end a long shift knowing someone noticed them, or who were going about their day, maybe with hidden stressors, and had a moment of joy.

"I would love to make a ginormous contribution in the world every day, but most of us don't have that kind of budget," Joelle says. "Love Bags are small, but also big at the same time."

She's proof that impact doesn't require a foundation, a fundraiser, a large team, tons of free time, or a massive budget. It just requires showing up with intention and a genuine desire to make someone's day a little better. I have personally seen Joelle and her Love Bags in action, and they really do brighten people's days and inspire them to pass along the good vibes.

The Bigger Picture

What Joelle is really doing with Love Bags goes beyond the bags themselves. She's showing that kindness doesn't have to be complicated or expensive or perfectly orchestrated. One person, with two dollars and a willing heart, can walk into someone's day and actually change it.

She hopes that's what people take away from this project.

"Almost anyone can do something kind for another person."

That includes you! Joelle has inspired me to not only acknowlege people as I go about my day and express gratitude towards them, but also to be outgoing and give them something with no expectations in return.

You don't have to make Love Bags to carry this idea with you. You just have to start noticing the people around you who are working hard and going unseen. The barista who remembered your order, or the janitor keeping your office spotless. Maybe the nurse who stayed late or the delivery driver who showed up in the rain. Perhaps a friend, a neighbor, a stranger.

See them. Thank them. Mean it. Sometimes the smallest gesture at the end of a long day is the one that sticks. Maybe that person will spread the positivity to someone else, and together we can make the world that much brighter.

Joelle saw a need and took action, and that has inspired me, and others, to do the same!

Joelle is a shining light in so many people's lives and shows up day in and day out. She's an integral part of Empower & Shine and an amazing friend! We cannot wait to share more of her story with you! Thank you Joelle for leading by example.