Laundry Truck LA: Today's Load, Tomorrow's Hope

Access to clean clothing is not only an essential part of healthy hygiene and self-esteem, but it can help restore dignity and hope in our homeless communities and open doors to meaningful opportunities.The Laundry Truck LA is a free mobile laundry service for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Greater-Los Angeles area. Conceptualized in late 2017 by DOLAN Clothing founder, Jodie Dolan, the service currently operates every Thursday at a site in Huntington Park, for up to six hours per day.Working in tandem with The Shower of Hope, The Laundry Truck LA is outfitted with multiple washer and dryer sets and will eventually be in service at various locations 3 – 5 days per week, with the capacity to wash and dry more than 5,000 loads of clothing annually.

Cleaning To Revive A Community Art Scene

After touring the globe, music artist Gary Viteri used his passion and creative drive to transform an old South Philly building into P H Â R M Â C Y—a community space that brings art and the neighborhood together. The P H Â R M Â C Y is not just a coffee house—it’s used nightly as a performance venue for musicians, artists and locals to gather or pursue their creative outlets. Once an old, abandoned corner pharmacy, Gary bought the building in 2014 and has slowly worked to repair and renovate it to a functional site. As part of The What Comes Next Project, Gary looks to turn the basement into a recording studio and rehearsal space as a resource for aspiring artists. For this neighborhood, Clean is just the beginning. What comes next is coffee, music, culture… What comes next is everything.

Humble Designs For Hope And Home Stability

Humble Design is a nonprofit that serves families and veterans emerging from homelessness by transforming an empty house or apartment into a home—a very simple idea that can change a family’s future. Across the country, Humble Design warehouses are curated and stocked by design teams that personalize homes by providing a dignified, life changing experience for clients. They use donated household goods to transform empty, cold houses for the recently homeless, into warm, welcoming and uplifting homes, that lead to successful lives.

Cutter Huston with The Laundry Project

Young Changemaker Series

Cutter began volunteering with The Laundry Project as a high school freshman in Tampa, Florida. Volunteering at The Laundry Project events exposed him to a world he hadn’t known previously, but one he knew he wanted to be a part of. Cutter saw first-hand how each load of laundry washed enhanced the well-being, self-esteem and quality of life for those in the community. After moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, he started a new branch of The Laundry Project which has washed over $3,000 worth of laundry to date. He hopes to see the continued success and permanent establishment of his branch, even after he moves away for college.

Support this Cause via

Dakevineon Wardlaw with Community Cleaning Services

Young Changemaker Series

Dakevineon grew up knowing that a clean home can set the tone of your day; a clean space just makes you feel better. When he moved to Durham for college and realized that many of his community members were having a difficult time cleaning their homes and keeping up with chores, Dakevineon knew he wanted to help. He found some volunteers willing to work with him from his school’s LGBTQ center and went door-to-door asking if anyone wanted assistance. Now the group cleans homes for those in need and helps create a stronger relationship between university students and the local community. Dakevineon hopes to establish this project in his current community and start a new one in whichever area he moves to after college.

Support this Cause via

Alma González De La Cruz with Laredo Animal Shelter

Young Changemaker Series

Alma has served her community in more ways than one, but her greatest passion has been collaborating with remarkable individuals at the Laredo Animal Protective Society in Laredo, TX. When adopting her Chihuahua, Lola, she noticed the shelter was in need of supplies and cleaning, so she helped collect donations for the organization. Alma plans to help clean, organize, and expand the shelter’s volunteer office so more animals can find their forever homes and spread happiness to the community in the way that only animals can.

Support this Cause via

Allison Quintanilla Plattsmier with Close the Loop Project

Young Changemaker Series

Allison has been passionate about serving her community since she was 13. Most recently, she became involved in the Close the Loop project which aims to create a more sustainable community and allow equal access to resources by collecting, cleaning and organizing clothing donations for those in need, ensuring no material goes to waste. She is also a Certified Nonprofit Professional and Certified Fund Raising Executive and consistently prioritizes the betterment of her community through pursing education in public administration, nonprofit management and community development. In the future, Allison hopes to start her own collective impact nonprofit that ensures equitable access to resources in the Nashville community.

Support this Cause via

Jasmine Vanscoy with We Wilm Rebuild

Young Changemaker Series

While Hurricane Florence was passing through her college town of Wilmington, NC, Jasmine banded together with several of her peers to form We Wilm Rebuild, a hurricane relief organization that gathers and distributes donations of cleaning supplies, food, clothing and other items to the areas that have been hit the hardest. The group partnered with Technology for the Future and Wilmington Response to support with packaging and wider distribution of supplies. Moving forward, Jasmine wishes to erect temporary living shelters for those that have been displaced by the hurricane, help them to clean and remove mold from their homes and get them back on their feet.

Support this Cause via

Thrive Collective

The youth is our future, and organizations such as Thrive Collective and URBANLIFE Mentors are continuing to support and empower this young generation by creating hope and opportunity through arts and mentorships. In 2017, Clorox awarded Thrive Collective a grant, allowing the organization to transform a distressed church in Harlem into a now thriving youth arts center. Clorox is continuing to support Thrive Collective’s vision in opening a new Youth and Family Center in Oakland, CA in partnership with URBANLIFE Mentors. With the help of this grant, Thrive Collective, in partnership with URBANLIFE Mentors, will be able to continue to make the necessary improvements to the center’s interior and exterior, along with the equipment needed for programming and events.

The Night Ministry

The power of clean, like freshly laundered clothes or a sanitary place to eat and sleep, truly impacts lives. While it’s something we often take for granted, clean spaces play an important role in human dignity. This can be seen through the work The Night Ministry does on a daily basis. The Night Ministry is a Chicago-based organization that works to provide housing, health care and human connection to members of the community struggling with poverty or homelessness. To further The Night Ministry’s work, Clorox awarded the organization a grant which will support their enhancement and the continued daily cleaning of The Crib, its emergency overnight shelter for young adults, a population underserved by the traditional city shelter system.