Every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at Spring Clean Laundry in west Wichita, volunteers from local churches set up tables and hand out piles of quarters to anyone who needs help — no questions asked.
As the washers churn and dryers spin, people line up for the monthly outreach effort called Laundry Love.
“There’s a big need, as you can see with all these people here, so I just want to help out,” said Deb Barngrover, who attends Good Shepherd Episcopal Church.
“They might spend their money on food instead of doing laundry, and this helps them get both.”
Laundry Love is a nationwide network that provides free laundry services to low-income people. There are at least five Laundry Love locations in Kansas, including in Wichita, Newton and Hutchinson.
The effort was launched more than 20 years ago by Greg Russinger of Portland, Oregon. Russinger was spending time with unhoused people in California when he was inspired to help.
“We asked a gentleman by the name of Eric, ‘What would it look like for us to walk alongside you?’” Russinger said. “And he just said, ‘You know, if I had clean clothes, I think people would treat me as a human being.’”
Russinger started showing up at a laundromat and paying for other people’s laundry. While the washers and dryers did their thing, Russinger and other volunteers chatted with their neighbors and got to know them.
“People who were once strangers become acquaintances, and from acquaintances they become friends,” he said. “It’s in the returning where life really happens inside of the laundromat.”
If you have a washer and dryer at home, you probably take doing laundry for granted. You might even gripe about it.
But for Kim Robertson, Laundry Love seemed too good to be true.
Two years ago, she was living in a travel trailer with no way of doing laundry. She visited Spring Clean on a Tuesday night and noticed the sign.
“So, we started taking advantage of having a little help,” Robertson said.
Clean clothes can get expensive. Robertson does about five loads at a time, which costs at least $3 a load. Add several more dollars for the dryer, and that adds up.
Rosetta Rodriguez agrees. She recently lost her job and doesn’t have ready access to a washer or dryer. Having someone pay for her laundry means she has a little extra cash for food, gas or medicine.
“If you don’t have soap and bleach, they provide it for you. So, it helps a lot,” Rodriguez said.
It’s often church groups who commit to financing and staffing Laundry Love locations. At the west Wichita location, it’s Good Shepherd Episcopal and Aldersgate United Methodist Church.
Volunteers take their cue from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, who takes an injured man to an innkeeper and promises to pay any expenses necessary to care for him.
Russinger, the founder, said Laundry Love isn’t a charity. Rather, it's a chance for people to spend time together and form friendships.
“The community helps with people dealing with isolation. There are opportunities to help tutor children and help with job placement or housing possibilities,” he said. “There’s so many different things that can happen inside of a laundromat.”
Robertson said Laundry Love takes care of a critical need and also offers dignity and hope.
“I’m hoping that once I get caught up on everything, I’m able to give back to the program because they helped me so much,” she said. “That’s my goal.”
Laundry Love programs are twice monthly at the west Wichita Spring Clean location, 416 N. Ridge Road, starting at 6 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday.
To start a Laundry Love site or to make a donation, visit the Laundry Love website.
