An interfaith effort
Siew Lilley and Marilyn Lindell at the Tucson Mall food court.
The generous parishioners of Northwest Community Friends Church (The Society of Friends aka Quakers) recently made another donation to Saint Philip’s Laundry Love Ministry. The gift was made in honor of their late member, Cliff Franks (1935-2021) who was one of the initial organizers of Tucson’s local Laundry Love Ministry.
Siew Lilley is an enthusiastic supporter of Laundry Love, and she and other parishioners have continued Cliff’s work. This past week she met with Marilyn Lindell and delivered 33 packets with supplies and a very generous $140.25—donations provided by congregants at Northwest Community Friends.
Saint Philip’s is a registered partner with the national non-profit Laundry Love. Since it began in 2003, Laundry Love estimates that more than two million loads of laundry and more than 1.5 million people have been served.
Saint Philip’s also partners with Interfaith Community Services (ICS) and Northgate Laundromat. Volunteers assemble individual packages that contain a sheet with details (instructions, directions, times, etc.), six Earth Breeze detergent sheets*, and three dryer sheets.
A total of 85 prepaid “gift cards” worth $4.25 each are provided separately. This offers clients more flexibility depending on their access to washers, dryers, and supplies.
Do you have loose coins (US currency only) that you’d like to put to good use but don’t want to count? Laundry Love volunteers will be delighted to count, roll, and donate them to this ministry. Email parishioner Marilyn Lindell at CaptMarilynusnr@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to take them off your hands.
Of course, checks can be made payable to “Saint Philip’s Church” with “Laundry Love” written in the memo line. Online donations can be made through Saint Philip’s secure website when you select “Laundry Love” from the drop-down menu.
Thank you!
*These are flat sheets of compressed detergent that are eco-friendly. The packaging is biodegradable—even down to the ink that’s used. The sheets are hypo-allergenic and save space because there is no plastic bottle.
The Laundry Love map that shows where local efforts are offered.
The story of Laundry Love began with T-Bone (Eric), a houseless gentleman who lived in Ventura, California. In one particular conversation, he was asked, “How can we come alongside your life in a meaningful way?” His response was honest and practical: “If I had clean clothes, I think people would treat me like a human being.”