Laundry machines were working tirelessly amid the friendly chatter of those crowded inside Kipp’s Laundry on a recent Tuesday.

Volunteers were walking around handing quarters to people to start their laundry loads. Food was sitting on a table in a potluck-type offering. Donated boots and other winter gear were placed on a counter for those in need to take.

It’s all part of a loosely organized nationwide initiative, Laundry Love, offering free laundry services to low or no-income residents.

The service is held every first, third and fifth Tuesday of the month.

Bags full of laundry sit in front of laundry machines inside Kipp’s Laundry in St. Cloud on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, during a Laundry Love event. (Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE)

The initiative started locally nearly 10 years ago after Nancy Dyson, who was living in Sartell then, saw a need in the community.

Dyson, along with her daughter, began delivering coffee after church on Sundays to people living at Lake George. Eventually, that led to her bringing a grill, cooking breakfast, and creating relationships.

“I remember somebody doing their clothes in the fountains down there and that’s where I realized that I had never thought of laundry, that never crossed my mind,” Dyson said.

Dyson put a plan into action to start hosting laundry events. That resulted in hosting events on Tuesdays at Kipp’s Laundry, the slowest days for the business at Ninth Avenue South.

The first event saw a few people attend.

“I remember just saying should we do this again?’” Dyson said. “… It just kind of kept exponentially growing, like everybody would invite a friend and then we were picking up people … Then a lot more families started (showing up).”

From there, the program took off, growing even beyond St. Cloud and into Sauk Rapids in 2018. In March 2020, the program was halted for COVID-19, but efforts didn’t stop, Dyson said, as they handed out laundry soap and quarters to those in need.

The St. Cloud program resumed about a year ago. There are currently no plans to return to Sauk Rapids, but if the program continues its growth, that’s a possibility, Dyson said.

‘We need this’

On Tuesday morning, Dec. 5, Jeff Wharton was preparing to unload his clothes from a washing machine.

Wharton, who recently discovered Laundry Love, said he’s already witnessed the benefits of the program.

“I love it. I love seeing events like this, stuff like this. People come in and utilize it, they need this. We need this,” Wharton said. “… I’ve just been utilizing this now just so I can make ends meet. Other than that, it’s an amazing program.”

“It’s a blessing to have something like this and as long as people utilize it in a respectful way and they don’t take advantage of it, it’ll be here for a long time,” Wharton added.

Joe Yaeger of St. Cloud loads his clothes into a laundry machine during a Laundry Love event inside Kipp’s Laundry in St. Cloud on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. (Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE)

Another program user, Joe Yaeger, was one of the residents Dyson met while living at Lake George.

Before Laundry Love, there weren’t many options for men experiencing homelessness to wash their clothes, Yaeger said.

Yaeger is one of a few that Dyson, along with her partner Jason Jaques, picks up and gives rides to the laundromat. For Yaeger, who uses a bicycle and trailer to get around town, that’s critical.

“It’s a godsend,” Yaeger said.

Local funding

Laundry Love partners with Earth Breeze, an eco-conscious laundry detergent company that uses sheets. That company supplies roughly 1,500 sheets when the program is running short, Dyson said.

Dyson said Laundry Love, which is running low on funds, does not receive funding from the national program. Instead, funding comes locally from churches and other organizations.

St. John’s Episcopal Church donates $250 a month, Dyson said. On every fifth Tuesday, Bethlehem Lutheran Church supplies volunteers, quarters and food, Dyson said.

Kimball United Methodist Church also helps out occasionally by supplying a large amount of quarters, Dyson said.

To help Laundry Love, Dyson said the two biggest things are to attend a Tuesday event at Kipp’s Laundry and donate quarters if possible.

There are also Laundry Love programs in St. Joseph, Zimmerman, Princeton and Hutchinson, among other Minnesota towns, although they are not all related. For a complete list of Laundry Love locations, you can visit laundrylove.org/locations.