A popular Branson ministry is a huge help to area families throughout the school year.
Laundry Love is an outreach of The Grove Christian Church in Branson. The ministry began in 2010.
Laundry Love gives families the resources that they need to have clean clothing for work and school. Volunteers from The Grove Christian Church have joined forces with Ye Old Wash House in Hollister to provide free laundry services twice per month from September through May. Laundry Love serves clients the first and third Mondays of each month during the school year, with the exception of holidays.
"This ministry began with a desire to make a sustainable impact on the community," explained Steph Mallette, Ministry Assistant at The Grove. "A few people would donate quarters for the machines. Some people brought detergent and supplies then everyone would come together and serve for a few hours."
Laundry Love has continued to grow. Now, on busy weeks, the ministry serves 40 to 50 families on Laundry Love nights. Each family can wash up to four regular loads of personal laundry at no charge. Detergent and dryer sheets are also provided.
In addition to offering the resources to do laundry, the ministry also provides dinner on Laundry Love nights.
"Last season, the owner of Ye Old Wash House in Hollister, Kyle, coordinated with Chick-fil-A to cater dinner at Laundry Love," explained Steph. "Chick-fil-A brought sandwiches and chips and Grove volunteers baked homemade desserts and provided beverages for each guest."
Everyone is welcome to participate in the Laundry Love program. There is no criteria except a simple sign-in process so that guests can be served in the order in which they arrived.
In addition to the Laundry Love Ministry, The Grove Christian Church is involved in many other activities throughout the community.
"In the past, we have hosted the Branson Community Easter Egg Hunt, as a community outreach to kids and their families," Mallette shared. "We have volunteers who run an encouragement ministry called 'Pick-Me-Up,' which helps those who struggle with transportation to their health appointments, prescription pick-ups and grocery runs. Internationally, we help support a church in Jamaica and have sent a team in the past to help with their building projects and encourage the local church body in Kingston. We enjoy hosting events like community blood drives, volunteer income tax assistance, fall prevention and self defense classes, and many other groups throughout the year. So many have been able to run programming for the local community by hosting classes in our building, and we are grateful that people can always find a space to be themselves, whether it is on a Sunday morning at 10 a.m. or on a weekday for a community event."
Anyone wishing to visit The Grove Christian Church is welcome. Sunday morning services begin at 10 a.m. and Thursday night services get underway at 6:30 p.m. The Grove Christian Church is located at 116 Pathway Road in Branson.
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