Photo by Edward Vielmetti under CC BY 2.0
Thousands of residents of northern California’s wine country have lost their homes as wildfires raged out of control—’like a blowtorch’—through their neighborhoods in recent weeks. Tragically, many people lost their lives and others remain missing or unaccounted for. It’s heartbreaking to witness the utter devastation left in the fires’ wake. It will take a long time for survivors to regroup and rebuild.
Area residents and business owners who are fortunate enough to have escaped the fires’ deadly rampage are anxious to offer assistance to their fellow community members whose homes were in the fire’s path. Three local laundromat owners have figured out a way to help. Teaming up with WSD and Dexter Laundry, these businesses will hold a FREE LAUNDRY DAY on October 30, 2017. They will open their doors to community members to do their laundry, free of charge, from 10am—6pm.
Survivors of the fires lost everything, including their washers and dryers. Even for those who escaped the fire, the smell of smoke is everywhere and has permeated clothing and bedding along with other possessions.
As Karin Seder, co-owner of Wash World in Santa Rosa explains:
“While the recovery efforts are just beginning and many people have moved from shelters into some sort of housing, families still have a need to get their laundry done and wash donated clothing items. Even those who did not lose their homes have evidence of smoke they can smell in their clothes – entire closets need to be washed.”
People are in dire need of clean laundry—being able to use nearby large capacity commercial laundry machines free of charge for a day might just bring a tiny bit of relief. With Dexter Laundry and WSD’s support, these laundromats will enable over 500 families to do their laundry on Free Laundry Day.
To provide additional support to victims of the fires, WSD and Dexter Laundry have also set up a matching relief fund for others who want to donate money to help. They will match the first $6000 in tax deductible donations to the fund, administered through the Coin Laundry Association’s LaundryCares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. To donate to the fire victim relief fund go to:
These three laundromats are proud to co-sponsor FREE LAUNDRY DAY on October 30, 2017:
WASH WORLD
1418 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA
Owners: Brad and Karin Seder
(707) 539-5282
www.washworldsantarosa.com
LAUNDERLAND
201 West Napa Road, #25
Sonoma, CA
Owner: Diane Natenstedt
(707) 394-5805
MI FAMILIA LAVANDERIA
2908 1st Street
Napa, CA
Owner: Eric Obranovich
(707) 226-3954
The devastation and human suffering caused by the northern California wildfires is immense. Fellow residents and local business owners are rising to the occasion and finding their own ways to help the victims start to get back on their feet. Upon being asked why they decided to open their doors to the public for free, Karin Seder responded,
“I am really at a loss for words—the devastation looks like a war zone—and we just want to help.”