Mission Statement
“The Riverside Woman’s Club Snug As A Bug Bags project provides comfort bags filled with handmade blankets and care items to children experiencing difficult and traumatic situations in our community.”
I am a lifelong resident of Riverside, California, a wife, mother of two adult children, retired insurance broker, and Co-Chair of the Advocates for Children Committee at the Riverside Woman’s Club.
I joined the Riverside Woman’s Club in 2023 and was soon asked to co-chair the Advocates for Children Committee. As our committee explored meaningful ways to support children in our community, a longtime club member shared an article from the GFWC Clubwoman Magazine about a project called Snug As A Bug Bags. The mission immediately touched my heart.
After visiting the website, I reached out to founder Allison Norris in Northern California. She returned my call right away and told me she had recently lost both parents who were her biggest fans of Snug As A Bug Bags. What began as a conversation quickly turned into both a friendship and a shared goal of bringing the project to Southern California. With the support of the Riverside Woman’s Club Board, we officially launched the project on November 3, 2024, with our first Sew Day, making Riverside Woman’s Club the first Sister Club to adopt Snug As A Bug Bags as an ongoing project.
Although I had no sewing experience when we started, I was inspired by the passion of our members who create the beautiful quilts for our comfort bags. In fact, I purchased my first sewing machine at Christmas 2024 so I could learn and contribute to the project myself.
As someone without grandchildren of my own, being able to devote my time, energy, and resources to helping children in need brings me tremendous joy. Snug As A Bug Bags has become more than a project to me—it is a heartfelt mission to wrap children in comfort, care, and hope when they need it most.
– Tammy Gonzalez
Introduction
The Riverside Woman’s Club is proud to be the first Sister Club to adopt the Snug As A Bug Bags project as an ongoing service initiative. Through the leadership of our Advocates for Children Committee, our members and volunteers work together to create comfort bags for children experiencing difficult and traumatic situations.
Each Snug As A Bug Bag contains a handmade blanket, a stuffed animal, a coloring book, and crayons—simple items designed to provide warmth, comfort, and a small sense of security during uncertain times. Our bags are distributed through trusted community partners including Operation SafeHouse, Riverside Police Department, Family Promise, Spring Mountain Retreat for Women Veterans, and Riverside County Social Services.
In 2025 alone, our committee contributed over 700 volunteer hours, received $1,460 in cash donations and $4,222 in in-kind donations, and distributed 88 Snug As A Bug Bags to children in need throughout our community.
Through compassion, creativity, and community collaboration, the Riverside Woman’s Club is honored to help bring comfort, care, and hope to children when they need it most.
Donation
The Riverside Woman’s Club Snug As A Bug Bags project is made possible through the generosity of our community. Donations help us purchase supplies such as fabric, batting, fidget toys, small stuffed animals, coloring books, and crayons so we can continue creating comfort bags for children experiencing difficult and traumatic situations. Every contribution, large or small, helps us bring warmth, comfort, and hope to a child when they need it most.
How You Can Help
Together we can bring comfort, kindness, and hope to children when they need it most.
There are many ways you can support the Riverside Woman’s Club Snug As A Bug Bags project and help bring comfort to children in need.
Volunteer
Donate Supplies
Make a Financial Donation
For more information about volunteering or supporting the Riverside Woman’s Club Snug As A Bug Bags project, please contact Tammy Gonzalez at tammyrwcsnugasabug@gmail.com.
