Laundry Love washes away the hardships of poverty

On any given Saturday, a group of volunteers carrying pouches filled with quarters visits local laundromats to offer a welcome boost to customers. The coins become symbols of hope and community as they are distributed by volunteers with Laundry Love of Central Oklahoma.

People experiencing homelessness or other hardships often lack access to laundry facilities, which can lead to challenges in maintaining hygiene and presenting themselves well. Laundry Love, an initiative of Sox of Love, aims to address this issue by providing customers at coin-op laundromats with up to $10 to help them wash their clothes.

The nonprofit organization, founded by Tamara Nelson, typically announces Laundry Love dates and locations on its website and distributes fliers at laundromats in Oklahoma City, Norman, Shawnee and El Reno. Volunteers also conducted Laundry Love outings in storm-ravaged areas like Sulphur in the spring.

On a recent Saturday, Nelson and a group of volunteers had signed up about 20 people and families seeking Laundry Love assistance within the first 30 minutes of opening the doors at Doug's Coin-Op Laundry, 5817 NW 50. They placed quarters in the laundry machine slots for participants, getting to know each person and family along the way.

"We do want people to tell us their story, although they don't have to," Nelson said. "We don't want people to feel like they are a number. We've found that some people need help and some may be lonely and they are seeking community."

The volunteers also offered free lunch, pet food from the Pet Food Pantry of Central Oklahoma, books from Little Read Wagon, personal hygiene products and new socks for people of all ages through Sox of Love.

Nelson started the Laundry Love initiative in 2018 after learning from Sox of Love recipients that cleaning their clothing was often a hardship. Some people experiencing homelessness told her that they didn't have regular access to laundry facilities.

Once Laundry Love began, Nelson learned that participants who are grandparents raising grandchildren, older adults and the disabled sometimes have to decide between doing their laundry at a coin-op or paying for food and medicine.

Many, she said, don't have the convenient option of doing their laundry in the privacy of their own home or going to the home of a relative or friend to put a few loads in the washer.

She said her eyes were opened to the reality that the lack of access was not necessarily a homeless issue but primarily a poverty issue. Some children miss school because their parents decide that not sending them to class is better than sending them there wearing dirty clothing.

"It's a lack issue," she said. "It's a people need help issue."

Drummond agreed.

She said she is the Norman volunteer team lead for Laundry Love and the initiative's outings average about 70 families each time. Drummond said she found it "heartbreaking" that people, particularly those on fixed incomes, are faced with difficult decisions that they shouldn't have to make.

"They say do 'I buy my medicine or do I wash my sheets this month?'" Drummond said. "They count on us."

At the recent Laundry Love outing at Doug's Coin-Op Laundry, several people said they were grateful for the assistance.

Loreta Martin said she appreciated the Laundry Love lunch and the way the volunteers spread cheer and hope.

"I think it's a wonderful thing because people can wash their clothes and I'm so happy that this is coming into my community," she said. "When you have clean clothes, it makes you feel you're somebody."

Wesley Richard also expressed gratitude for the love that came with a free load of laundry.

"I think it's amazing and it's definitely a help," he said.

"It's less stress in everyday life to be able to take care of certain necessities and then with the lunch and other things like the dog food, it's really a blessing because you never know what somebody is going through and what they need."

Nelson, who is an economic developement specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, spread the word through a Facebook post once she understood there was a need for Laundry Love. She had started Sox of Love to provide free socks to community members in 2016.

An unexpected challenge arose when some laundromat owners were reluctant to allow volunteers to go into their facilities to offer aid, but Nelson said several owners eventually gave the OK.

She said she and nine other people quickly raised $500 to conduct the first Laundry Love of Central Oklahoma outing in August 2018.

"We love them through this process," Nelson said of Laundry Love recipients. "They're seen, they're heard and they're loved because a lot of folks feel forgotten."

She and Drummond said current economic hard times have presented a challenge to Laundry Love and they people they serve. Nelson said she attributes these woes to the affects of the COVID pandemic and inflation.

She said 100% of the funding that comes in to Laundry Love is used for the laundry outing, but donations are down by 30% this year.

Drummond said funding has indeed been

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