Newport nonprofit helps families make ends meet one load of laundry at a time
by: Sarah Doiron, Mike Montecalvo
NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) — Every month, Laundry Love tries to ease some of the financial burdens faced by low-income families.
The program, made possible by the Newport County Prevention Coalition, pays for each family’s laundry to be washed and dried so their money can be put toward other necessities.
And that’s not all.
Bridget Manning, the coalition’s mental health promotions coordinator, told 12 News the program also improves their quality of life.
Manning said the Newport County Prevention Coalition recently asked people what barriers they faced in accessing mental health services.
She was surprised by the answer.
“They felt that, if they got more support in having their essential needs met, accessing mental health services would be easier,” Manning said. “We thought … well, we can do that.”
Manning said Laundry Love, which launched last year, is funded entirely by grants and donations.
“We get a lot of single parents,” she said. “If you have kids, doing three to four loads a day adds up.”
Manning said she’s grateful Laundry Love can help not just throughout the holiday season, but year-round as well.
“They want to have a good holiday with their family and if we can help them, if we can take one little stressor away from them, I think that’s fantastic,” Manning said.
Laundry Love operates out of two laundromats: Micki’s Laundromat off Bellevue Avenue in Newport and Ocean State Laundry on West Main Road in Middletown.
The program is offered the second and fourth Thursdays of every month in Newport and Middletown, respectively. Time slots between 4–5 p.m. are first come, first served, while the remaining slots between 5–7 p.m. must be signed up for in advance.
Families are limited to three loads each, and volunteers are on hand to assist with paying for each one.
Those interested in volunteering can fill out an application online or email bmanning@riprevention.org for additional information. Donations can also be made to the program online, with the money being put directly toward washing, drying, detergent and dryer sheets.