Christ Episcopal Church volunteers are helping the community one laundry load at a time.
Under the name ‘Loads of Love,’ volunteers on a five-person committee at the church pay for laundry service, detergent and dryer sheets for anyone who stops by The Washhouse, located at 715 3rd Street in Blaine, between 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of the month.
“We wanted to do something in the community that meets a need that isn’t already being met by others,” committee chair Susan Thomson said in an email. “We came up with Loads of Love after investigating ‘Laundry Love,’ a similar program that is being done all across the country.”
Loads of Love is the first charitable program sponsored by the church committee, which was established in 2016 to honor the late Mary Helen Windell.
“She was an exceptional person that cared about social justice so much,” Thomson said. “We just wanted to honor her name.”
Courtesy of Loads of Love, individuals can launder up to three free loads, while families can receive up to six, she said. During the last wash day on September 3, volunteers paid for 45 loads of laundry.
“No questions asked, no trying to convert people – we are there only to pay for laundry,” Thomson said. “We bring baked goods and have coffee and water, which people seem to really enjoy.”
Backstage @ the Border, a concert series sponsored by Christ Episcopal Church, also helps raise funds for Loads of Love. In the past, it’s raised $10,000 to donate to other outreach programs in Blaine, such as the Community Assistance Program.
This year, it’s helped finance Loads of Love, Thomson said.
“What has been striking to me is how grateful people have been,” she said. “It is really expensive to do laundry in a laundromat, a fact that most people who have a washer and dryer at home don’t think about. A family on a limited income can have hard choices when it comes to food, gas or clean clothes.”
To learn more about Loads of Love, email christchurchblaine@gmail.com or call
360/332-4113.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here