By Benay Hicks February 24, 2022
Laundromats are a frequently overlooked community hub. People gather together for hours while the machines slowly work through that week’s clothing load. Sit at a laundromat long enough and you’ll see families, college students, business people, retirees, moms, dads…you’ll see people from various cultures and spanning generations. They come prepared with snacks, activities, homework, headphones, and games. There is no way around it: a trip to the laundromat often takes time, preparation, and patience.
Which is why Book Harvest decided to partner with local laundromats to create spaces for families to gather, and to provide an endless supply of free, high quality, culturally-inclusive books for children to keep and take home. We want to remove ALL obstacles to literacy for children in our midst, beginning in the ordinary and informal settings that characterize our neighborhoods and starting with families as soon as their children are born.
One of our partners is Regency Cleaners and Laundromat. We were fortunate to take some time and talk with the founder and owner, Rita Foley, along with manager, Emily Robbins. Please enjoy the interview below about our Family Space at Duke Street!
Learn more at bookharvest.org/laundromats.
The Family Space at Regency Cleaners & Laundromat on Duke Street is made possible by GSK’s Ribbon of Hope Grant.