T4C offers free Community Laundry Days
Washing and drying the laundry is such a regular task for most adults the chore doesn’t get much thought.
Washing and drying the laundry is such a regular task for most adults the chore doesn’t get much thought. But for many families without a washer or dryer at home who are struggling under the weight of trying to make ends meet, the trips to the laundromat are an expensive nuisance.
Tuscarawas County Council for Church and Community is launching Free Community Laundry Days in March, which will provide a little relief for Tuscarawas County families. Residents will be able to do their laundry free at one of four Finish Line Coin Laundry locations in Tuscarawas County on Tuesdays, March 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 9 a.m. to midnight.
“We field a lot of calls from residents seeking assistance in many ways,” said Carly Hart, T4C executive director. “We try very hard to listen to people’s everyday concerns, and we knew laundry is a worry for many because so many have asked about it. It’s become a real concern for people so we knew where we needed to help out. This is a good use for some of our Emergency Assistance Fund for local families.
“You learn what a big deal laundry is if you suddenly don’t have a working washer and dryer. It becomes a major investment of time and work going to the laundromat, and it’s also a real expense for many families. Many have no transportation to even get to a laundromat.”
T4C has begun a quarter drive to defray the costs of managing such a program. “Initially, we put a budget together to be able to help families four days in the month of March,” Hart said. “Within 24 hours of our announcing this new emergency popup program, we had thousands of inquiries. So we had to rethink things right away.
“We realized this was a need throughout the area. We needed to find a way to cover the full county and to keep things going. So we decided to do a quarter drive and ask organizations to help us with that. Now we have people asking about that and how to go about it. Quarters are an easy donation for anybody to do.”
Hart said any person or group can simply collect quarters and drop them off at the T4C offices. “We will use that money to continue our Community Laundry Days,” she said.
Hart said she was lucky in her search for laundromats to partner with. “I started calling around and quickly found Tim Bowers, who owns the Finish Line Laundromats in New Philadelphia, Dennison and Dover. That’s where we’re going to start. He was flexible in what we wanted to do. We will pretty much take over those locations on those days,” she said.
No preregistration for Community Laundry Days is required. Hart said they will register families while they are at the laundromats those days. Those who wish to participate should bring proof of residency in Tuscarawas County.
T4C helps area families with emergency assistance, a Youth Boosters mentoring program for students age 8-12 and the annual Share-A-Christmas Drive.
The four Finish Line locations are 139 Front Ave. SW and 1125 Bowers Ave. NW, both in New Philadelphia; 1 N. Second St., Dennison; and 130 E. Second St., Dover.
For more information about Free Community Laundry Days, call T4C at 330-343-6012 or email director@t4conline.net.
T4C offices are in the United Way building, 1458 Fifth St. NW, New Philadelphia.