Fort Scott Washateria, a new state of the art laundry center, will open Sept. 7 instead of mid-August as originally planned, said manager Lori Lovelace.
But this Thursday on Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. she and her mother Carol Oakleaf, who is the owner of the business, will be having an organizational meeting for a Fort Scott Community Closet Association.
Volunteers are needed to be board members for the new philanthropic organization.
“We will collect clothing donations to distribute to those in need in the community,” Lovelace said.
“We’d like to get people who have worked at the Beacon,” she said. The Beacon is a helping agency who recently quit handling clothing distributions.
“We will need people to set the hours to be open, the qualifications for receiving donations and other needed decisions,” Lovelace said.
She and her mother will be on the board, but others are needed.
Their church, Hammond United Methodist, is a sponsor of the clothing distribution association.
Lovelace and Oakleaf have worked to attain a 501 (c)3 and a Federal Tax ID for the association, she said.
“The broader the organizational experience, the better it will be,” Lovelace said.
Volunteers are also needed to help with the distribution of clothes to those in need.
“We will launder donated clothing, and clothing will be sorted and stored in the grey shed, just north of the laundry facility,” Lovelace said.
Washateria Grand Opening Sept. 7
The laundry center’s opening has been pushed into September because of the death of an employee of Laundry Solutions, that sold them all the machines, Lovelace said.
That business has been Speed Queen Distributor of the Year three times in the last six years, she said.
Some of the larger capacity machines will take bedding comforters and dog beds, Lovelace said.
They will have a “soft opening” of the laundry mat around Labor Day.
She will put a sign in the window to indicate the preliminary opening.
Two people have been hired and the hours of operation of the laundry mat will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Home delivery service will be provided as well, if needed.
For more information: fswashateria@gmail.com or call Lovelace at 620-215-1314.