'Laundry is a need:' Non-profit fundraising for mobile laundry unit
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – A local non-profit is raising money to help fill a need for laundry services in Huntsville.
ShowerUp Huntsville provides showers to people who don't have access to facilities. Director Tyler Reed says hygiene is often overlooked as a need in Huntsville.
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'Every single day here in Huntsville, we're giving showers to the people who don't have a home, and constantly people are coming up the most common question we get is, 'do you have any clean clothes I can put on?' He said, 'and usually, the answer is no.'
Reed says ShowerUp Huntsville's affiliate, ShowerUp Nashville, already has a mobile laundry unit that is in high demand. During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, he says he drove the unit to states that lost their water supply. He says the trip made him realize how important laundry services are.
'You can only go so long and then you run out of clothes, and so that really hurt me when I was there, seeing that, realizing the need for disaster relief,' he said. 'When another disaster strikes, we're going to take that mobile unit and go and serve the people in a disaster zone.'
Once ShowerUp reaches its fundraising goal, the mobile laundry unit and showers will travel around to different communities in Huntsville. Thanks to a private match-donation, ShowerUp is already half-way to its goal, with $32,000 remaining to fundraise.
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Reed says a shower and clean clothes can help people who are struggling get back on their feet.
'We're going to wash their uniforms, and nobody will know what their situation is. They're going to go on the job, they're going to work hard just like their neighbor. but they might be sleeping out on the streets, but physically you won't be able to tell,'' he said. 'Our goal is that first we work on the physical aspect, and it really changes their mental state and their emotional state to help somebody get that step up.'
To help ShowerUp reach its fundraising goal, visit ShowerUp.com/donate.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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