How a nonprofit's initiative offers dignity, hope and love through clean clothes

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.

As an initiative of the nonprofit Sox of Love, Laundry Love sets up shop at various coin-op laundromats throughout the Oklahoma City metro area to provide customers up to $10 to help them as they wash loads of laundry. Sox of Love founder Tamara Nelson, of Oklahoma City, said people typically become aware of Laundry Love's designated dates and locations by going to the nonprofit's website, and fliers are placed at laundromats in cities like Oklahoma City, Norman, Shawnee and El Reno. The volunteers also conducted Laundry Love outings in storm-ravaged areas like Sulphur in the spring.

On a recent Saturday, Nelson, 47, and a group of volunteers had signed up about 20 people and families seeking Laundry Love assistance within the first 30 minutes of the doors opening at Doug's Coin-Op Laundry, 5817 NW 50. Nelson and volunteers like Barbara Drummond, of Norman, placed quarters in the laundry machine slots for Laundry Love 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 that converged on Doug's Coin-Op Laundry offered free lunch, free pet food from the Pet Food Pantry of Central Oklahoma, free books from Little Read Wagon, personal hygiene products and, of course, new socks for people all ages through Sox of Love.

People often don't have access to laundry facilities. Laundry Love was created to help

Nelson said she 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.

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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.

Nelson said her eyes were opened to the reality that the lack of access was not necessarily a homeless issue but primarily a poverty issue. Nelson said some children miss school because their parents decide that not sending the young people 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."

'When you have clean clothes, it makes it feel you're somebody'

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."

Facing challenges

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.

Nelson 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 tight, which she said is just a sign of the times.

Nelson said Sox of Love and Laundry Love volunteers are committed to serving through the financial ups and downs.

"A lot of people think it's a scam that we would come and help they pay to do their laundry," she said.

"They are just shocked that we get nothing but my goal and my hope is that I want them to know that they are worthy — worthy of dignity, worthy of love."

How to Help

Sox of Love/Laundry Love of Central Oklahoma is having a Dignity Drive through Aug. 5 for donations of laundry supplies like laundry detergent pods, dryer sheets and new socks and underwear for men, women, babies, boys, girls and teens to be distributed during the nonprofit's back-to-school giveaways and other upcoming activities. Monetary donations are also accepted. For more information and drop-off locations, go to www.soxoflove.org or the Sox of Love Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SoxofLove/.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Laundry Love of Central Oklahoma offers aid, support in laundromats