Loads of Love

I have the privilege of working with a group of people who get together on the first Saturday of each month for an effort we call Loads of Love (link goes to our Facebook page -- feel free to "like" the page). I don't post this for publicity, but we're praying about expanding the project to include another day of the month (maybe another location, but most laundromats weren't interested in hosting, for whatever reason); we'll need volunteers for that.

Here's a description of Loads of Love from one of our fliers:

On [date goes here] we invite you to Five Points Laundromat (815 Wellman Ave, 35801) to wash and dry your clothes (up to three loads - for blankets and heavy items, one to two loads) free of charge or obligation. Just show up with dirty clothes and we'll provide detergent, fabric softener, bleach, and the washers and dryers so they'll be clean when you leave. 

Loads of Love happens the first Saturday of every month, from 8:30 until 11:30 in the morning. Coffee, orange juice, water, and snacks are a part of every Loads of Love event!

Yesterday was a great one. We helped about 40 people with their laundry. We have the chance to pray with them, share Christ with them, listen to what's going on with their lives, and let them get to know us better, too.

We're grateful for every donation of funds. Every bit goes to feed washers and driers unless we're told that we can use it for laundry detergent, etc.

If you live in the Huntsville, AL area and would like to help out with Loads of Love, comment below or send me an e-mail! Next one will be February 4.

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Loads of Love - One Year!

I've been a part of an effort (or a ministry) called "Loads of Love" for a whole year now! The text from one of our flyers gives a summary of what it is:

"On November 5 we invite you to Five Points Laundromat  (815 Wellman Ave, 35801) to wash and dry your clothes (up to three loads - for blankets and heavy items, one to two loads) free of charge or obligation. Just show up with dirty clothes and we'll provide detergent, fabric softener, bleach,  and the washers and dryers so they'll be clean when you leave."

Loads of Love was started both as a means of helping people without expecting any return and of team-building in preparation for a mission trip to Haiti that happened earlier this year. We do this to follow Jesus Christ and obey what He taught; not to make us feel good about ourselves. My friend Stephanie Newman has been the driving force behind LoL; she's responsible for conceiving it and for making it happen. Many thanks, Stephanie!

LoL happens on the first Saturday of each month and though our primary target group is Huntsville's homeless population, there are people from many walks of life that we're able to help. We started in November 2010. It was somewhat appropriate, then, that on our one-year anniversary Kay Campbell, the Faith & Values Editor for The Huntsville Times, visited us along with a gentleman named Robin (failed to get his last name), a photographer for the paper. Kay talked with several volunteers as well as a few clients yesterday to get a feel for what's been happening and how the ministry effort is making an impact on a little piece of our city.

We're praying and brainstorming about what to do next. We would love for more Christ-followers to be involved with this effort. Our next big need is a van and driver to make a stop at one homeless camp (we're limiting it to that right now) to pick up our clients and then to take them back after Loads of Love is finished. If we can get a few area churches to climb on board with this the "burden" would be spread out and would be quite easy to manage.

If you'd like more information, our would like to help or donate funds (we feed washers and dryers with quarters from donations), hygeiene products for the coming cold months, detergent, clothing, etc., please click here to send me an e-mail and I'll get you hooked up.

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