Australia’s first social impact laundromat comes to Melbourne Street
Melbourne Street
Melbourne Street is now home to the first ever Orange Sky ‘social impact laundromat’ – a laundromat where all funds go to providing access to free laundry services to people experiencing homelessness.
Not-for-profit organisation behind the ‘social impact laundromat’, Orange Sky, provides access to free laundry services, warm showers and genuine, non-judgmental conversation and connection to people experiencing homelessness, or doing it tough, across Australia and New Zealand via bright orange mobile vans.
Orange Sky has been supporting those experiencing hardship in the Adelaide region since March 2016 with mobile laundry van, ‘Sandy’. Now Adelaide locals can do their laundry in Melbourne Street knowing that it’s helping to make a difference in someone’s life.
The Adelaide Laundromat by Orange Sky functions like a regular laundromat operating as a paid service for locals to launder their washable items. However, it uniquely offers a simple and easy way to support those doing it tough, as all funds raised support the ongoing operations of Orange Sky’s free mobile laundry services.
Orange Sky Co-Founder Nic Marchesi says the commercial laundromat service is something completely new to the organisation and the venture will contribute to their mission to ‘positively connect communities’.
“Here at Orange Sky, we live by a core value of "giving things a crack" and challenging ourselves to think outside the box to create greater social impact. In line with this philosophy and our mission, we are exploring something we have never done before, right here in Adelaide,”
“The Melbourne Street Laundromat has been a trusted staple of the Adelaide local community. (Previous owner) Matt has always been involved in community impact activities in North Adelaide and was looking to pass the location onto someone who could continue this type of community work. Matt reached out to us at just the right time and offered a transfer - to which we were super excited to get involved with.
“We plan to continue that tradition, just with a little bit of Orange Sky energy."
Part of that energy is a fabulous new mural art for the laundromat donated by local artist Greer Tappert.
Orange Sky was established in Australia in 2014 by 20-year-old mates, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett who had a crazy idea of putting a washing machine and a dryer in the back of a van to help those doing it tough in their local community.
Nic and Lucas were best mates throughout school and were both involved in the food van their school ran to feed people doing it tough. Both were saddened and curious to see the situations of people struggling right in their backyard, so they hatched a crazy dream to find a way to help.
Seven years on, Orange Sky now operates 376 services across 265 locations in Australia and three services across two locations in New Zealand, plus now its very first permanent laundromat location in Melbourne Street!
Orange Sky is always on the lookout for local volunteers to assist in shifts at the laundromat to help support those doing it tough. If you would like to volunteer please contact the team at Orange Sky via their website: www.orangesky.org.au/
Melbourne Street Laundromat by Orange Sky
80 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide
Open 24/7
Facebook: @OrangeSkyAU
Instagram: @orangeskyau
Twitter: @OrangeSkyAU