ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) - Having clean clothes is often taken for granted. For others like Michael Kravitz of Allentown, it’s a luxury.
“It's convenient and it's a big help because they give you so much to start out and do it. So it's like a little relief,” Kravitz said.
Kravitz is one of a couple hundred people who use the Laundry on Linden program at Family Wash Day laundromat on Linden Street in Allentown. The program is free for those who need it.
“You go out and you want to be clear, cleaned up,” Kravitz said. “You don't want to put dirty clothes on and you know you're going for interviews or whatever you're going for. That's an important thing.”
“It can happen to any one of us that have experienced trauma in their lives,” Jacqui Howells, co-founder of Laundry on Linden said. “And the trauma sometimes will lead to drug abuse, mental illness, you know, that causes the drug abuse.”
Howells is a parish nurse for St. Luke’s University Health Network's Sacred Heart campus looking after both the physical and spiritual well-being of patients.
“They are people that each have a story,” Howells said. “If you spend time with them, you're gonna love them as much as we love them. Everybody here is special. And they blessed me and people think that we're blessing them. The blessings that you get from them is tremendous.”
The program has about 20 volunteers each Tuesday.
“[It] helps out a lot and it helps me save money that I could use for other stuff,” Allentown resident Kristina Colon said. “Sometimes I would have to pull money from my food to pay for my bills...or like my house supplies, toiletries and stuff. It will come out of my money, I have to splurge. I am a single parent. So I'm doing it by myself. And it helps me pay for other things that I can't pay for.”
It’s not just about having clean clothes, but an overall well-being. St. Luke's University Health Network has joined the program offering free healthcare every other week.
“We're here for whatever anyone needs, sick visits and people who lost insurance and run out of their medication,” Dr. Colleen Cahill, Hospitalist, St. Luke’s University Health Network said. “We can refill their medications. For people who can't afford their medications, the parish nurses have a fund to help buy their medications for them. We help people get in with a family doctor if they need that. We can kind of bridge the gap between people who have a family doctor, but haven't been there for a while...So whatever anyone needs, we're here for them. “
Dr. Cahill volunteers her time to treat the uninsured while their clothes are getting washed. Donating time is not the only thing that keeps the program going, it wouldn’t be possible without monetary donations.
“The head of our parish nurses, she suggested that I come in [and] look at what they do,” Carolee Gifford, Staff Chaplain, St. Luke’s Sacred Heart campus said. “Once I did, it was an easy, easy solution to where this love can go to help the very, very poor and underserved people of Allentown. “
It’s a couple of quarters to some, but a fresh outlook to those looking for a clean slate. Click on the video player below to watch Health Reporter Brittany Sweeney’s full report.