How a Laundry Ministry Brings Dignity and Hope to Key West: Loads of Love
Discover how volunteers at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Key West, Florida, bring hope and dignity through Loads of Love, a laundry ministry that pays for neighbors’ wash cycles after hurricanes, hardships, and everyday challenges.
This Ministry Pays for Laundry
In Key West, Florida, a small group of volunteers visits laundromats with enough quarters to pay for everyone’s laundry — no strings attached.
They’re part of Loads of Love, a ministry started by Sarah Kindinger and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Their mission? To restore dignity by meeting an essential, often overlooked, need: clean laundry.
For a child, it means wearing clean clothes to school.For a frontline worker, comfort after a double shift. For a family in need, unexpected kindness.
After the Hurricane, They Showed Up
In 2022, Sarah and her priest got a $1,000 grant from the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida to launch a new laundry ministry.
Then Hurricane Ian struck.
Families faced flooded homes, piles of soaked clothes and linens…and no way to wash them.
The time to act was now.
So volunteers filled a suitcase with quarters and detergent, and went straight to the nearest laundromat.
“Clean clothes are essential, just like food or shelter. It restores dignity.” —Sarah Kindinger, Loads of Love Founder
How It Works
Today, Loads of Love visits four laundromats, 3-4 times a month. Each shift has three volunteers. To make it easy, they sign up online using Unison.
Volunteers bring:
- Nametags
- Rolling suitcase
- Quarters (about $400 per visit)
- Detergent sheets and dryer sheets
- Teddy bears and coloring books for kids
- Banner in four languages explaining:
“We are members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. It is our pleasure to pay the cost of washing and drying your clothes tonight. This is our ministry in support of the community.”
It’s simple. There’s no overhead, Sarah explains: “You just need a few people and a desire to help.”
Support Keeps Pouring In
Good news spreads quickly in Key West. Locals call it the “Coconut Telegraph” — their version of word-of-mouth. One person starts a load. Then makes a call. Soon, others arrive with baskets in hand.
More loads. More love.
Generosity — like a steady stream of quarters from church members, a grant from the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys, and a load of volunteer dedication — keeps those washers spinning. The whole community wants to be part of it.
One Smile You’ll Never Forget
Sarah remembers a mom who didn’t speak English. Her young son read the banner and translated:
“They’re paying for our laundry, Mom.”
“She stared at me like, ‘Are you serious?’ I held out the quarters and nodded. That smile — I’ll never forget it.”
Every load means more than clean clothes. It’s money saved for groceries. Relief in a hard week.
Proof that love shows up in unexpected places.
Learn more about Loads of Love.
Feeling inspired?
Loads of Love shows how a few volunteers can make a meaningful difference. You can do the same in your community — and use the same tool for any act of service.
