Laundromania is making Wednesday, April 1, Free Laundry Day at its locations in Johnson County for those experiencing financial difficulties due to COVID-19.
“This is a special day for people in need.” Laundromania owner Brian DeCoster said in a written statement. “We ask that our patrons who regularly do their laundry with Laundromania and have not been directly impacted by COVID-19, give this day to those who are financially struggling.”
The event will continue from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Social distancing rules will be in place, so people may have to wait in their cars until there is enough space inside the laundromat for them to enter safely. People are also being asked to promptly remove their laundry from the dryers at the end of the cycle, and fold them at home. Surfaces and equipment will be sanitized between uses.
Laundromania is also asking people not to bring their children and to limit the size of their laundry loads to 120 pounds.
The following Laundromania locations are participating in Free Laundry Day:
• 316 E Bloomington St, Iowa City
• 1845 Lower Muscatine Rd, Iowa City
• 737 Mormon Trek Blvd, Iowa City
• 204 1st Ave, Coralville
• 465 Hwy 965, North Liberty
But to make Free Laundry Day work, volunteers will be needed. That’s where the United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties (UWJWC) comes in.
“As these are self-serve laundromats, volunteers are needed to manage the free laundry process with patrons and sanitize at each location during the free laundry offering,” UWJWC explains in its COVID-19 Volunteer Opportunities page. “Without volunteers this free offering will not be able to take place.”
The volunteer opportunities listed on the webpage go far beyond Free Laundry Day.
“United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties is designated in the Johnson County Disaster Plan as the coordinator for disaster-related volunteers before, during and after a disaster,” Trisha Smith, UWJWC vice president for developing and marketing, explain in an email to Little Village. “The Emergency Volunteer Center has been activated as of March 16, 2020 and will connect volunteers with the COVID-19 related Volunteer Needs and Opportunities.”
Each volunteer opportunity listing has a description of the need and what will be required of the volunteer. Anyone interested in helping can sign up online via the page. People can also call 319-337-8657 to learn about opportunities.
Individuals and groups in need of volunteer help can call the same phone number, or email patti.fields@unitedwayjwc.org, to get their volunteer needs listed.
UWJWC also has a daily email update about COVID-19 and the community. Anyone interested in signing up for the email can find information, as well as an archive of previous emails, on UWJWC’s COVID-19 page.
