Laundry Love shares hope with a little pocket change, detergent
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on December 17, 2017 3:05 AM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Arden Lyn closes the door to a dryer filled with his clothing Friday at Ash Street Laundrymat. Lyn was washing and drying for free thanks to Laundry Love Goldsboro, a charity that provides free washes on the third Friday of each month.
Laundry Love Goldsboro put the word out, and the community answered.
The non-profit group held its monthly event at the Ash Street Laundrymat at 503 E. Ash St. Friday, where volunteers brought change and detergent on hand to allow those in need to do loads of laundry.
Inside the laundromat, patrons moved back and forth among the washers and dryers, guided by volunteers who put the quarters and detergent into the machines for them. Other volunteers, including military spouses from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, grilled hot dogs outside or served bread donated by Great Harvest Bakery.
Laundry Love Goldsboro co-founder Tonya Jaime said that the event picked up as soon as it began.
"It's pretty busy in the first half-hour. Everybody lines up outside, and then around 11:30 our volunteers start bringing them in," she said. "It's up to four loads per household, and they wash and fold their own laundry."
Jaime said that with Christmas approaching, Laundry Love wants to share the hope of the holiday with the people it is helping.
Often times, she said, a clean load of laundry can make all the difference.
"We actually had a man contact us and thank us for doing this," she said. "He said he was worried he would have to send his children back to school in dirty clothes."
Another patron, Arden Lyn, loaded up a washing machine on the rear wall of the laundromat. A veteran of the Marine Corps, he said the various charity organizations in Goldsboro, like Laundry Love, make it easier to get by.
"Goldsboro, they do good things for people," he said. "Nobody should go hungry here. Everywhere I've been, they've been good to me."
Laundry Love relies on donations and fundraising from the community, as well as volunteers willing to come out and run the events.
"We're still going strong, we do our own fundraising, and now we're sheltered under a registered non-profit, the 4 Day Movement," Jaime said. "We work together for fundraising for our missions, and everything has kind of fallen into place."
Pocket change and detergent are always in high demand, and there are multiple ways to get in touch with someone should you wish to donate.
"Our main email address is laundrylovegoldsboro@gmail.com, and you can also contact anyone within the 4 Day Movement," Jaime said. "You can also visit our Facebook page, Laundry Love Goldsboro."
Jaime said that Laundry Love could not have gotten this far without the support of Goldsboro citizens.
"We are so grateful to the community for their support thus far, for letting us keep on doing this," she said. "We really do rely on the community, and they have really turned out."