Free laundry nonprofit helps families

Laundry Love Georgetown builds self-esteem one laundry load at a time

  • Laundry Love host team members Ann Kaiser and Amber Cessac, with Amber’s daughters, Eden, Noelle, Selah, Lovelyn and Marielle.
    Laundry Love host team members Ann Kaiser and Amber Cessac, with Amber’s daughters, Eden, Noelle, Selah, Lovelyn and Marielle.
  • Leslie Hearne, Laundry Love Georgetown director, with socks donated by Wellspring United Methodist Church members.
    Leslie Hearne, Laundry Love Georgetown director, with socks donated by Wellspring United Methodist Church members.

    When a California homeless man was asked in 2003 what could make an impact on his life, he answered, “If I had clean clothes, I think people would treat me like a human being.”

    From that response grew Laundry Love, a nonprofit providing free laundry services nationwide — and in Georgetown — since 2015.

    Laundry Love Georgetown provides money and detergent for the community’s low-income, unemployed and elderly population — or to anyone needing help to wash and dry clothes and bedding at a laundromat.

    “We’re in the business of empowering people,” said Leslie Hearne, Laundry Love Georgetown director. “We build self-esteem and inspire confidence.”

    Laundry Love service is available at Washatopia, 1910 South Austin Avenue, twice monthly — from 4 to 8 p.m. on the second Tuesday and last Thursday of every month.

    “There’s no registration, no proof of need, no strings, no catch,” Director Leslie Hearne said. “We’re here to serve everybody and we just want people to come.”

    And they have — from cleaning 1,000 pounds per month in 2015 to 13,000 pounds now; from spending $100 per night in Laundry Love credits to $1,200.

    “There is no limit on the number of loads,” Ms. Hearne said. “It costs $7.50 to wash and dry one load of laundry. That adds up when a family has several loads.

    “The need is definitely out there,” she said. “The community is growing and so is the number of families living in poverty here.”

    Volunteers are the backbone of Laundry Love. Most are recruited through area churches and there are 6-8 present at every washday. Dubbed “the host team,” they help families load, unload and fold laundry, and start up machines with Laundry Love’s payment cards.

    “This is face-to-face, hands-on work,” Ms. Hearne said. “Our team members see the impact of helping the families. That’s so gratifying for them.”

    Ms. Hearne said she and the host team make laundry day fun. They provide snacks, water and “happy vibes,” she said.

    “We know everybody by name and get to know the families,” Ms. Hearne said. “Washday feels like getting together with friends. There’s just a happy atmosphere in the laundromat. It’s fun. It’s rewarding.”

    Laundry Love does not use paid advertising to spread awareness of its service. Instead it spreads the word through The Caring Place, Backpack Buddies, Boys’ & Girls Club, Wilco Veterans Services and Georgetown ISD.

    “We have a wonderful network of helping organizations here,” Ms. Hearne said. “Laundry Love is very supported locally in our mission.”

    The nonprofit recently received more than 700 pairs of new socks for Laundry Love participants through the Saving Socks campaign. Donated by members of Wellspring United Methodist Church and The Locker nonprofit, the socks were distributed last March and again this month.

    For more information about Laundry Love Georgetown, go to https://www.laundrylovegeorgetown.org.

    Laundry Love Georgetown