I could see in people’s eyes, and in their voices, how crucial this program was to them”

Heather Hole Strout, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center

For families struggling to make ends meet, something as simple as washing a load of laundry can become another financial burden. In Newport County, a program that helps ease that burden nearly came to an end this fall. But thanks to the determination of Strategic Prevention Partnerships (SPP) and the willingness of a fellow nonprofit to step in, Laundry Love will continue serving the community.

When significant federal funding cuts left SPP unable to sustain the program, the organization faced a difficult decision. Rather than quietly discontinue a service that families had come to depend on, its leadership reached out to community partners in hopes of finding someone who could carry the work forward.

That decision led to the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center (MLK Center) taking over Laundry Love, preserving a program that provides individuals and families with free access to laundry services.

For Heather Hole Strout, executive director of the MLK Center, the transition demonstrates what can happen when organizations put the needs of their community first.

“I have the deepest respect for them,” Strout said of SPP. “It’s very hard to make a decision to close a program, especially one that is as essential as this one.”

The partnership began during a weekly gathering known as the Situation Table, which brings together approximately 30 representatives from local nonprofits, along with Newport and Middletown police and fire personnel, to discuss community needs and available resources.

During one meeting, an SPP representative announced that anticipated federal grants had not come through, resulting in the elimination of a staff position and leaving Laundry Love’s future uncertain. Rather than accept the program’s closure, the representative asked whether another organization could take it over.

“Rather than just kind of doing it quietly, they really put out a plea for someone to help take it over,” Strout said. “I have the deepest respect for them for doing that because that put them in a little bit of a vulnerable position.”

Strout did not immediately volunteer the MLK Center. Instead, she considered whether taking on the program would be possible and visited one of SPP’s final Laundry Love sessions at Micki’s Laundromat in Newport.

What she witnessed made the decision clear.

“I saw so many of our families and clients that we serve at the MLK Center there doing their laundry, and immediately I knew that it was a program that we needed to save,” she said.

Strout also recalled hearing participants approach Rebecca Elwell, executive director of Strategic Prevention Partnerships, worried about how they would afford laundry if the program ended.

“I could see in people’s eyes, and in their voices, how crucial this program was to them,” she said.

Recognizing the need, Strout worked closely with Elwell to develop a transition plan. Although the MLK Center has assumed full responsibility for Laundry Love, SPP remains committed to supporting its success. Volunteers recruited through the original program are expected to continue helping, and the organization has offered guidance whenever needed.

Strout views SPP’s willingness to entrust the program to another nonprofit as a sign of strength rather than defeat.“I look at that as a source of strength that they’re focusing on the things that they absolutely have to do and doing them well and being able to turn something like this over to a community partner who they trust,” she said.

More than clean clothes

Laundry Love is a national initiative that began in California in 2003. In Newport County, the program operates at Micki’s Laundromat, 272 Bellevue Ave., Newport, on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Participants receive funds for washing machines and dryers, along with detergent and dryer sheets. They complete their own laundry, allowing them to maintain independence while receiving financial assistance.

Strout said many people with washers and dryers at home may not realize how expensive laundry can be, particularly for larger families. Beyond easing financial stress, the program helps preserve dignity, especially for children who deserve to attend school feeling comfortable and confident.

“If you don’t feel good about yourself, because you have dirty clothes with stains all over them ... that dignity can be lost so quickly,” she said.

Strout estimates that approximately 20 individuals attend a typical session, representing between 40 and 50 household members. The MLK Center plans to track participation more closely and hopes to eventually expand the program beyond its twice-monthly schedule, depending on funding.

Laundry Love also offers an opportunity to connect families with additional MLK Center resources, including its food pantry, childcare and community programs.

While the MLK Center now oversees the program, Strout emphasized that its continuation would not have been possible without SPP’s determination to find another organization willing to help.

For families arriving at Micki’s Laundromat with baskets of clothing, that decision means more than clean clothes. It means one less financial worry and the reassurance that their community is looking out for them.