“A lot of people thought we were crazy, that it was impossible. We were told that putting a washing machine in the back of a van would never work ... With all the moving parts, they’re not designed to be there! Then there was the issue of bringing water and power to different locations, and making the whole thing easy for volunteers to operate. We also heard things like, ‘Homeless people will never wash their clothes in a park’.” Nicholas Marchesi"Orange Sky Laundry" is a free laundry service for homeless people. The service kicked off in October 2014 and was founded by Nicholas Marchesi and Lucas Patchett who as students used to help out with their school's charity food vans. Now, 450 volunteers support them in six Australian cities (The Guardian). Two social entrepreneurs in their early 20s make a difference and give homeless people some dignity by washing their clothes.
"Our goal was to connect communities, raise health standards for the homeless and improve the lives of others." Nicholas Marchesi
“There’s a mood of negativity and hostility towards the homeless community. We try to provide a more social, uplifting experience, and I think having fresh faces for our homeless friends to talk to helps.”
Lucas Patchett
“We want to challenge the perceptions people have of our homeless friends. We don’t want to make a distinction, we’re all just people.” Nicholas MarchesiMore about this beautiful service: Orange Sky Laundry
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Photograph via Imgur
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