‘A beautiful mess’: Laundry Love initiative in Palm Springs emphasizes dignity, connection

In late 2023, Mike Mullins was accepted into the Episcopal Church’s program to become a deacon. With classes set to begin in early 2024, he needed to start planning his pastoral project.

“As deacons in the Episcopal Church, a primary job is outreach, and it’s outreach beyond the church walls,” Mullins said.

He and his mentor, Deacon Charleen Crean of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, considered several ideas before she asked if he had heard of Laundry Love — a national organization that provides free laundry services to low-income and unhoused individuals across the United States. Mullins immediately felt it was the perfect fit.

He emphasized that the initiative is not a charity but an opportunity for him and volunteers to walk alongside their brothers and sisters in the Coachella Valley who are experiencing hardship. Many participants live in vehicles, emergency or temporary housing, or are couch-surfing or living on the street.

“You know, especially if you’re just living on the street, you’re very vulnerable,” Mullins said. “So, having this ostracizing that happens in society, where a lot of business owners don’t want people that aren’t clean to come in their stores to shop. They sure can’t get a job.

“If you don’t have clean clothes, it’s impossible, and it’s socially almost impossible for people that don’t have these basic tools that we take for granted.”

Mullins explained that the concept of walking alongside others is fundamentally different from charity or structured outreach, where something is done for or to someone. This approach emphasizes mutual connection and shared experience rather than a one-sided act of giving.

“Because when you walk alongside people, you really are inviting them to be your friend,” Mullins said.

The event is held on the third Wednesday of each month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wash Time Coin Laundry on Sunrise Way in Palm Springs. At the event’s start, a greeter collects each guest’s information on an intake sheet. A host then assesses the actual laundry load, as initial estimates are sometimes inaccurate. Once confirmed, the host assigns washing machines and uses colored sticky notes to track each guest’s laundry.

When a wash cycle is complete, volunteers notify guests when it’s time to transfer laundry to the dryers. They continue tracking machine usage while completing the intake form. The goal is to minimize wait times and help guests finish their laundry as efficiently as possible. Volunteers work in teams of two, with one person typically serving as a host and the other managing laundry logistics. Each guest can wash up to nine loads of laundry, and events typically serve 40 to 50 guests.

The operation runs smoothly, but the fast pace keeps volunteers on their toes. Megan Goehring, a co-organizer and part of the volunteer group that took over operations from Mullins in January, said new volunteers quickly realize whether the work is a good fit for them.

“Personally, I started volunteering last summer, and I immediately just knew this is the volunteer gig for me. I just loved it from the very first minute. What’s great about it is it’s on the ground, helping people exactly where they need help, and it just feels really purposeful and really meaningful,” Goehring said.

“It’s crazy, but it’s a good crazy,” said Ray Tackett, another co-organizer. “It’s a beautiful mess.”

Volunteers come from churches, organizations, and schools across the Coachella Valley, including The Church of St. Paul in the Desert, Unitarian Universalist Church, Cal State University’s nursing program, River Pope Lutheran Church, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Gay For Good, and Palm Springs High School.

The group spreads the word through posters, placing them in areas where unhoused individuals gather, such as lunch lines, outreach centers, and other community aid locations.

According to Mullins, the event has been at capacity nearly every time, except one instance. At each event, $500 worth of quarters is used, which he fundraises. All donations go directly toward laundry costs. The initiative has been so successful that three people who initially came to wash clothes have since become volunteers.

One of those volunteers is Juan Carlos Sanchez, who continues to wash his own laundry at the event while volunteering to give back. Sanchez, who moved to the desert eight years ago, was previously unhoused. He credits the unhoused community for sharing the resources and information that ultimately helped him find housing and stability. Now, he has made it his goal to volunteer with every organization that once supported him.

“They’re my people,” Sanchez said. “I now have an awesome place to live. I’m set because of what they taught me. So now it’s my mission to give all that network and all that information to them as well.”

David Krueger has attended the past three events to wash his laundry. Until he learned about the program, he struggled to find a reliable way to clean his clothes.

“I wasn’t doing very good. It was sporadic. So I was wearing dirty clothes a lot,” Krueger said. “It’s a big-time help. It’s unbelievable going from wearing dirty clothes to clean clothes. So it’s a no-brainer.”

The group is currently working on launching a second monthly event to accommodate guests and volunteers who have difficulty attending at night. Details will be announced soon.

For more information, visit the Laundry Love website. To donate to the local chapter, send a check to The Church of St. Paul in the Desert at 125 West El Alameda, Palm Springs, CA 92262, or donate online by selecting Laundry Love in the “Fund” drop-down on this page.

To volunteer, email Ray Tackett at ertack6560@gmail.com or Megan Goehring at mcgoehring@gmail.com.

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