Loads of Love helping out on laundry day

PRINCETON — Toward the end of the month, money starts getting tight for some people. Dollars are stretched so thin that even the cost of a couple of loads of laundry can come to be unaffordable.

In some cases, people are forced to pay for more dire necessities while their clothes go unwashed.

Loads of Love, a ministry of the Open Prairie United Church of Christ, recognizes this need in the community and wants to help.

Every third Thursday of the month, members of a mission team, which is led by Susan Hale, set up a station at the Princeton Laundry Village, located at 12 W. Peru St. in Princeton, from 1 to 3 p.m. and provide free detergent, dryer sheets and quarters for up to two loads of laundry per household.

The Rev. Adam Webber of Open Prairie United Church of Christ explained how the mission is about providing dignity to others.

“In this world, people have trouble not judging each other on appearances. If your clothes are dirty and you’re maybe not smelling so fresh, people don’t give you the respect and compassion all God’s children deserve,” he said.

“By helping people do a load of laundry, we’re hoping we will shine a little kindness on them and maybe impact their lives in other ways. You’re not going to get the job if you show up for your job interview with dirty clothes.”

The mission is new, having just started in October, but it is already impacting those using the service.

Linda Ernst, a member of the mission team, confirmed the first event drew in members from Gateway Services who were very appreciative of the service, and they came back to use it again in November.

She pointed out how expensive laundry detergent is these days, and the cost to wash and dry a load of laundry can be as much as $8.

“Nobody has left without remembering to thank us,” Webber said. “This way, it’s a win all around. People who need help, get help. Those of us in the church get a chance to come together to work together to fuel the world in the name of Jesus Christ, and we’re also helping out a local business.”