These are the only photos we captured during our laundry event on Tuesday - to call it a whirlwind would be an understatement! We helped 57 neighbors with laundry, hygiene supplies and a meal. We shared bottled water courtesy of Grocery Outlet, pre-packaged meals provided by Gene and Mary Zellharie/King of Kings Lutheran and Stephanie Hollingshead/Milwaukie Lutheran, as well as blankets, coats, new socks and SO MANY N95 masks.
We saw many familiar faces and just as many new ones. Check in took a solid hour as we connected with every person there, asking about their needs and doing what we could to meet them. Bus passes and gift cards for food are a huge need, as is more funding for laundry. This event ran upwards of $600 in laundry costs alone and the need continues to grow.
A new neighbor came and asked for any extra laundry kits we could spare so they could also wash their bedding. They showed us their eyebrows, which are infested with lice. By some miracle we were able to scrounge together an extra kit at the end of the evening, but without consistent washing of clothing and bedding, as well as access to hygiene care, it’s going to to difficult for them to eliminate the lice.
We also celebrated with neighbors:
A single parent we’ve been helping with laundry and other needs recently enrolled in school and we were able to provide them with a backpack full of school supplies. You’ll hear more about this neighbor’s story in our next newsletter.
Another neighbor is now 60+ days sober and doing the hard work of their recovery program.
And let’s not forget the fantastic artwork on the meal bags lovingly applied by Gene himself.
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