Free Laundry Day in the Valley of the Sun

Local Laundry, based in Phoenix, opened its doors – and its heart – to the local community on November 12 to host a LaundryCares Free Laundry Day.

A steady stream of neighborhood residents took advantage of this three-hour event to access the laundromat’s washers, dryers and soap products – free of charge. The owners of the store, which is located at 3424 W. Bell Road, hosted nearly a hundred people, who ended up washing thousands of pounds of laundry during this charitable event.

As music pumped through the store’s PA system, the guests were helped by a multitude of orange-clad volunteers – many of whom were members of the Coin Laundry Association’s Board of Directors. Laundry owners, distributors and manufacturer leaders were present and vigilant in helping attendees load their laundry into the many washers and dryers available.

Video

Watch the video below to catch a glimpse of what it was like to experience this very moving event.

New Laundromat Literacy Space

As part of this event, there also was a ribbon-cutting ceremony to help inaugurate a new Family Read, Play & Learn space at Local Laundry. These literacy play spaces provide a comfortable seating area, high-quality books, toys and other materials designed to help parents engage in literacy-rich interactions with their children during laundry time. Similar learning spaces have been launched in laundromats across the U.S. through the Laundry Literacy Coalition – a partnership between Too Small to Fail and the LaundryCares Foundation.

Shop for Family Read, Play & Learn Kits

While the adults tended to do their laundry tasks, the children were treated to a variety of different learning and entertainment activities. Such activities included:

• Story time with guest readers
• Face painting and coloring
• Goody bags
• Interaction with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, including a slap shot contest and a visit from the team’s mascot, Howler

Many different learning-based organizations were on site during this event, offering numerous opportunities for family engagement. Participating organizations included:

1. Too Small to Fail
2. National Center for Families Learning
3. Read On Arizona
4. Arizona Department of Education
5. Southwest Human Development
6. Unite For Literacy
7. Make Way For Books
8. Read On Phoenix
9. First Things First
10. Phoenix Public Library
11. Stand for Children, and
12. Valley of the Sun United Way

These organizations helped distribute about 250 books plus learning materials, as well as interacted with the children by leading story time and singing. Additionally, these groups provided families with information and access to local health, childcare and education-related resources.

Moreover, to help foster a love for reading, each child went home with free books and other early literacy resources, developed by Too Small to Fail.

Photos

Take a photographic tour of this event with the images found below.

Sponsors

LaundryCares would like to thank the following organizations for their generous sponsorship of this event and the foundation.

Free Laundry Day Sponsors

• Western State Design
• Vend Rite 
• Spector Textile Products
• R&B Wire Products, Inc.

2019 Signature Sponsors

• Girbau North America
• Dexter Laundry
• Laundrylux
• Maytag Commercial
• Alliance Laundry Systems
• Eastern Funding

Your Help on #GivingTuesday

Your help is needed. On December 3, 2019, the LaundryCares Foundation is seeking the support of laundromat owners, distributors, manufacturers and communities across the country to join the movement and get involved. A donation – no matter how big or how small – can make a lasting impact on the residents of neighborhoods from coast to coast. Click the button below to pledge your financial support.

Click to Make a Donation