While looking at the upcoming weather change, I decided to wash the quilt on our bed. It’s too bulky for our 25-year-old washer to handle, so I searched for a nearby laundromat.
When I was in college, going to the laundromat was social time. The room was filled with college students, none of whom knew how to properly wash clothes.
Music was playing from somebody’s boom box, and we’d argue the pros and cons of the Rolling Stones vs. The Beatles.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went into a laundromat all these years later, and I was quite surprised by what I found.
The days of shoving everything that was dirty into one small machine were over. Modern washing machines are stainless steel and can handle different size loads of dirty clothes. Dryers are quiet and efficient.
Also, I didn’t need a roll of quarters. Patrons insert a credit card in a machine on the wall, key in the amount they want put on the card and go from there. I didn’t figure this out on my own – the nice lady working there helped me out.
I’d forgotten to bring laundry detergent, but another machine sold Tide pods along with Skittles and Gardettos.
I loaded the comforter into a machine and settled in with a library book, but the people were a lot more interesting than the “whodunit” in my lap.
There was a tired young mom with three baskets full of toddler clothes and a middle-aged man who paced the aisles. I noticed there was a piece of masking tape stuck to the back leg of his jeans with $1.00 printed on it.
An older gentleman came in the back door with a clothes basket filled with Tide pods and Zip-loc bags.
Each bag had bottled water, crackers and chips. He left the plastic basket on the folding table and walked to the machines where the young mother was waiting.
He inserted a laundromat debit card, she thanked him, and he kept walking around, inserting the card in machines where other people were waiting.
When he sat down at the folding table, I asked him if he was a volunteer. He smiled and started talking.
He said he volunteered with “Hope Impacts” to help the homeless in Katy. He said those down on their luck could come to Kingsland Baptist Church on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a shower, a hot meal and change of clothes.
The ministry also offers assistance with medical and dental care, counseling and skills to help in job searches.
More importantly, those down on their luck also see a friendly, non-judgmental face and someone to treat them like a human being.
My reporter’s cynicism was in full alert, but when I saw this man helping people in a dignified way, my faith in humanity was restored.
I thought about the many ministries here in our area that help with the invisible people of society. I’ve seen the good these organizations, some of which are Helping Hands, Lunches of Love, Attack Poverty and Common Threads, accomplish with dedicated volunteers and monetary donations.
There are dozens of church and civic groups that reach out to those down on their luck, and this is the time of year when the need grows.
Being grateful is a state of mind that is nourished by helping others. If you feel a little low in that department, consider reaching out to some of the incredible organizations here in our community.
Do some research and find a group you feel would best be served by your help, either monetarily or in person.
The people you help could be those you’d never guess are down on their luck. When we all work together, we can help make this world a lot better place.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.