SANTA ANA – They lined up early at the coin laundry near downtown, homeless men and women and poor families waiting not for food or for shelter, but for the simple dignity of a clean shirt.
The washers and driers were free Thursday night, plugged full of quarters by a small group of people who wanted to do something new to help. They called their project, Laundry Love.
A few dozen people lined up outside the Santa Ana coin laundry with bags full of clothes and blankets. Some had shirts that had gone weeks without seeing soap. Some had sleeping bags that had spent many nights on the pavement without a good wash.
“This is wonderful,” said Dolly Annette Arreguin, 55, who was planning to spend Thursday night on the concrete steps of a nearby church. She imagined pulling her newly washed sleeping bag around her and said, “I’m going to be in heaven.”
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Have your Grandpa “magically” pull them out from behind your ears.
Put a “Make a Wish Foundation” box in a store but secretly it is for Laundry Love
Open a kissing booth.
Bully Jeff Jordan into giving you his lunch money. (like so long ago…)
The other day I happened to notice a bunch of quarters in the fountain at Fashion Island.
Pull your teeth and leave them for the Tooth Fairy.
Host Bible studies at your house and check the couch cushions after they leave.
Invoke the “If I had a quarter for every time…” rule in your household.
Okay, so we had a little fun with it, but now that that’s over in all seriousness, here are a few ideas…
Serious Ways to Raise Quarters for Laundry Love
I left a jar on my desk at work and sent out an email for people to come by and put coins in it. I raised around 13 dollars or so and I plan on doing this every month.
You know all the loose change you get from fast food drive-thu’s? Keep a cup in your car and every time you get some change put it in the cup for Laundry Love.
Go around your neighborhood, door-to-door, with a cup and ask for any extra quarters your neighbors may have. This is especially good if you have cute kids to take with you.
Recycle class, paper etc. use the cash for quarters.
Well I hope this helps out a bit. You see how easy it is to collect loose change and use if for real change. As you can see, a little creativity can go a long way.
We met Candice in July. Take a couple minutes and hear her story.
We did at least 15 loads of laundry for Candice and her two daughters. So glad we could help.
Our monthly spending has doubled each month, going from $30, to $60, to $120 this past month. And we’ve enjoyed spending every quarter and meeting the great Laundry Love People in Glenn Heights like Candice.
We’re gonna need a lot more help if we keep doubling our spending each month – but we’ll be there – the last Saturday of the month – offering some love and hope for our neighbors.
