BILLINGS — The Junior League of Billings has been organizing Free Laundry Day events for over seven years, but Saturday marked the final one for the foreseeable future.
Many came to Lockwood Laundry from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for free washing and drying courtesy of the organization. The events were put on once a month and all were welcome, no matter how much laundry they brought.
The organization is a volunteer group made up of women who help with various community events around town. They first got the idea for the event seven years ago after seeing a lack of cleaning resources for people.
“We found that hygiene and specifically laundry was something that was really needed in this community and not offered anywhere else. We found a lot of people could find clothes and food but just had no way to then keep their clothes clean after they received them," said board member Elizabeth Russell.
Saturday's event also came at the perfect time with school starting just around the corner. Free laundry is one less cost parents have to worry about for their children.
“When we first started, it was more for children that were coming to school and they hadn't had their clothes washed in weeks or months. You're gonna learn better if you're in clean clothes and you're comfortable," said member Meghan Lehman. “We've noticed that having clean laundry is a really nice step for both children and adults to be able to put their best foot forward, and we're happy to be able to fill that need."
The ladies bring $500 worth of quarters that have been collected throughout the month to use in the machines. The money has also been given through various community grants to help fund it. However, the organization said that Saturday's event marked their last Laundry Day until they can find a new partner to help them take it back on and continue in the future.
"There's other resources for laundry now in our community but we need to find a way to shift this and continue to make it successful," said Russell.
“That's not to say we won't do more in the future and be able to find a way, or if there's another organization that wants to take this over, let us know and we can help you get set up to be able to do it monthly," said Lehman.
Debi Eldridge has been coming to Free Laundry Day for the past six months and said she will miss the service as laundry has become a difficult chore to keep up with its costs.
“We usually spend probably about $75 a month on laundry," said Eldridge. “I'm on a limited income on my disability and we were having a real hard time trying to keep all the laundry done up."
However, she is still grateful for the help it has provided her and her family.
“It gets really hard, especially when you have two little ones running around all the time, and you're changing clothes like four times a day. It helps out a lot," said Eldridge. "The ladies are real polite and help you out with whatever you need.”
Like for Eldridge, laundry is another added cost to some already high expenses. Some families wait long periods until their next wash. The organization said they are proud to have been able to help lighten the load of that burden for many years.
"There's a lot of people that find themselves between laundry and utilities and you're making a choice about what you're going to do now. We make that difference for them to be able to meet all of their obligations and get through the month in the green," said Russell.
As the group looks to the future, the group is thankful for the years of washing away the worries of laundry costs for those in Billings.
"It's just so wonderful to make a difference and to see the smile on people's faces and see the relief that this is offered and that they're able to use and take advantage. It's awesome too to get to have relationships with people that you see here regularly and to see how their lives grow and change, and it's kind of a blast," said Russell.
The Junior League of Billings has been involved in the community for many years and welcomes new members. To learn about their upcoming events, click here.
