PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — While Black Friday and Cyber Monday focus on buying presents for yourself and others, Giving Tuesday is a reminder to think of those who may not have much all year round.
One local initiative backed by Homer William’s nonprofit Oregon Harbor of Hope is working to help the homeless community around Portland.
Harbor of Hope recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to bring two new mobile shower and laundry trucks to the metro area’s homeless. The trucks will include five private showers and 12 washers and dryers.
While most homeless services require the homeless to come to them, these trucks will visit schools, churches and encampments across the city to bring showers, clean laundry, soap, towels, personal need kits, underwear and warm socks to those who need it.
Don Mazziotti helped establish Harbor of Hope and serves as the director of the nonprofit.
“If you don’t have clean clothes, it’s not only uncomfortable, it’s very difficult to do a job interview,” he told KOIN 6 News. “For that matter, just talk to your friends or people on the street, and you lose a part of your dignity.”
With the support of the Union Gospel Mission, these trucks will operate five days a week and provide thousands of showers and laundry services to men, women and children.
“These would make a major difference in the camps that we would be visiting,” Mazziotti said.
In the spirit of the holiday giving season, they hope people will donate to their cause. The initiative has a goal of $300,000. That money will help finish outfitting the trucks with all the supplies they need to hit the roads and provide services to the homeless for the next year.
Within that first year, Mazziotti said they’ll be able to provide the homeless community with 8,000 loads of laundry.
The trucks are expected to be completed in January.