Mobile laundry truck delivers loads of love throughout Los Angeles
This week, an innovative nonprofit rolled into yet another community to wash, dry and fold clothes for free.
stops every Thursday along Westlake's Alvarado Street, serving many in the community who are unhoused.
Getting enough water for the laundry truck has required some ingenuity, and at this location, with city permission, the truck taps into a fire hydrant.
Unaware of the great need, Jodi Dolan came up with the mobile laundry idea while helping someone at a mobile shower station.
"It was just like a different person coming out of that shower, and then I helped her put her dirty clothes back on," Dolan said.
Her nonprofit's trailer fleet grew during the pandemic, and now there are four, serving various communities.
This week, LA City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez announced that a truck will serve seniors and families in Chinatown, to increase accessibility, as many have been washing clothes by hand, as there are no public laundromats in the area.
"We hear all the time that people are having to choose between groceries and food or laundry," Dolan said.
The nonprofit has stepped in after numerous disasters, and washes loads for veterans and families living in cars and hotels.
"The folding part is also very important to us because it's part of treating people with dignity. We want people to feel special," Angelina Naccarati, The Laundry Truck LA employee, said.
Last year, one of the trucks rolled into Altadena to service those affected by the Eaton Fire. Altogether, the laundry truck's crews have cleaned more than 68,000 loads of love.
"At the end of the day, I know that I have made a difference,that day for a lot of people, and that is so cool. It makes my heart sing," Naccarati said.
