Laundry service marks milestone as demand rises

THE free laundry service for those in need in Bendigo has just notched up its first anniversary, with more than 230 loads of washing already completed.

Orange Sky operates the service – known as a laundry pod – out of The Salvation Army building in Mundy Street, and celebrated its first birthday with an event there at the end of last month.

And according to its regional coordinator Emma Anderson, the need is increasing.

“Since we launched a service in Bendigo, we have been blown away by the number of people who have trusted us to support them with a simple yet essential service,” Ms Anderson said.

“The number of loads of laundry and the hours of connection and conversations had since we launched a year ago shows that the Bendigo community are certainly finding the service invaluable.”

According to Orange Sky, the 13-member Bendigo team has completed 234 washing loads and engaged in more than 647 hours of conversation with people using the service.

Ms Anderson said about 15 people attended the birthday event.

She said Orange Sky had noticed growing demand for the Bendigo service as well as at its other locations around Australia, which number almost 50.

“As Aussies across the country are feeling the pinch of rising cost of living pressures, there is a growing demand for Orange Sky’s services,” Ms Anderson said.

“There are a number of people utilising our services as they may be sleeping rough and have no access to laundry facilities.

“And others utilise the service as a way to reduce weekly costs as going to the laundromat can often be expensive.”

Ms Anderson said Orange Sky identified a local need when speaking with support services before setting up in Bendigo.

“We knew this service would be beneficial to the community and we are so incredibly pleased to see how many people have trusted us and engaged with the service and our amazing volunteers,” she said.

Ms Anderson said the organisation was always looking for more volunteers.

“It only takes two hours a fortnight to help make a massive difference in someone’s life who is doing it tough,” she said.

“You don’t need any special skills or certifications, just a willingness to help and friendly conversation.”

The service operates two shifts a week, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Mondays and from 10.30am to 1pm on Thursdays. Anyone interested in volunteering can visit orangesky.org.au to sign up.