For most people, the act of doing laundry is no big deal.
But for others, it can be an act of mercy.
For Ginger Krueger, who founded the Taylor chapter of Laundry Love, a nationwide volunteer initiative to provide free laundry services to economically disadvantaged people, it is a way to serve.
For the past three years, from noon to 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, Krueger, along with friend Suzanne Brosch, offer free washing and drying services at Skyline Laundry, 3100 N Main St, Unit 105, along with Skyline staff Volunteers, Carmen Lewis-Brink and Audrey Young.
“We did have a homeless guy who came pretty often, but I don’t know what happened to him, he lived on that strip,” said Krueger, a Georgetown resident. “We had some people who stopped in who knew nothing about Laundry Love, but they stopped in to wash their clothes, and they were living in their car, and they were so thrilled to have someone do their laundry.”
Nowadays, Laundry Love provides free laundry for up to three loads per client for between 25-30 people each month.
“We have a system,” Krueger said. “I have a friend who comes with me. She sits at a table, and she signs them in along with their phone number. They pick out the machine that they want and it’s a card, it’s not like nickels and dimes. I put money on the card I put the card in to start the machines.”
In addition, Krueger said the owners of Skyline contribute about $50 per month towards the effort.
“The people who run the laundromat, they take care of starting the dryers for everyone,” Krueger said. And the reason I take their name and their phone number is because at the end of the day we have a drawing for a $20 gift card that they can use any time they want to at the laundromat.”
Nichol Manas, a coowner of Skyline with her husband Shane Manas, said it made sense to participate in this initiative.
“Shane and I love being a part of the Taylor community, and we feel that everyone was very welcoming when we opened the laundromat,” she said. “We feel that being a true part of the community means helping those in need when we can. When Ginger approached us about Laundry Love, we felt that it was a great way to help those who needed it most in our community and the towns nearby. We have an amazing staff, and they all live in the Taylor area, which makes this program even more special. They do an amazing job making sure that all of the customers are taken care of and treated with respect and kindness.”
On Nov. 17, Krueger received a check for $150 and was a featured speaker at the Rotary Club of Taylor at their weekly meeting at Sirloin Stockade.
Rotary President Tia Rae Stone said the project was a natural fit for their organization.
“Taylor Rotarians saw this program as giving dignity to low-income families in our community,” Stone said. “Rotary’s motto is ‘Service Above Self,’ and this is just one of the ways we have put that into action. We appreciate the work that Ginger does, and hope others will learn about and participate in the Laundry Love program.”
At the meeting, Krueger said she usually does about 3 loads of laundry per family at a cost of about $4 each “So, we figure, our donation helped wash about 37 loads of laundry for about 12 families,” Stone added.
Krueger is seeking additional donations as well as volunteers, preferably ones who speak Spanish, to help with the project, and hopes to begin offering the service in the evening as well.
“We have a lot of people who speak Spanish,” Krueger said. “Me and my friend, we do not speak Spanish, (but) I have cards made up that kind of explain what we do in English and in Spanish. That’s one barrier that we have right now.”
For more information, please call 512-818-0994.
