Wavemax Laundromat in Long Beach had a busy start to their free laundry event on Feb 17.
From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the first 150 people to arrive received a voucher for a maximum of 6 loads of free laundry along with soap, softener, and snacks.
Over 40 people arrived within the first hour, and more than 350 loads of laundry were completed by the end of the day.
During the event patrons were offered flyers with information for other basic support needs, such as free wifi hotspots, technical support and local food pantries scattered all around the Los Angeles County area.
Participants learned about this resource through multiple avenues of advertising, both online and in person, like Instagram and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Wavemax owner Melissa Doupounce has teamed up with multiple nonprofit organizations as well as our campus’s basic needs department to make this event happen
Marcus Hobbs, an LBCC alumni and community activist working for Project X LB, and Emily Kazin, the Executive Director of the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion were two of the primary organizers of this project.
“Being clean is a matter of dignity,” Kazin said.
This was the first project Hobbs had the opportunity to plan and with the successful turn-out and high number of participants, he has high hopes that the free laundry days can happen at least once every other month.
“Having clean clothes shouldn’t be a luxury,” said Hobbs.
Stephanie Vasquez was one of the participants as well as a federal work-study student assistant for LBCC’s basic needs department.
She left the event carrying two loads full of school clothes, remarking, “It is excellent that the school is offering resources like this, it has helped out a lot.”
Stephanie’s story is far from unique. Many students and staff attending LBCC also struggle with disadvantages such as poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity.
A free load of laundry for them makes the difference between being able to afford a meal and transportation fees without sacrificing access to clean clothes.