Finding the Need
“My dad was a high school football coach and later became a principal. He was highly regarded, and I remember he would bring students to our house for dinner because he knew they didn’t have any food at home. My mom was one of those super volunteers, but she was on the quiet side. She never wanted to be highlighted, but she was at the church helping out anytime there was a need.
“I watched and learned from them, and I guess that’s why I like being involved.
“My husband, Don, and I were both retired when we came to Gateway North Richland Hills in 2017. When we got here, one of the first questions I asked was, ‘Where is the need?’ I found a small group that was doing something called the Laundry Project. It’s a great group of volunteers that go to a laundromat once a month and pay for everyone’s laundry. Gateway provides cards that can be used to pay for the laundry service.
Making a Difference
“I knew we had found the right serving opportunity the first time we were there. Don and I met a young lady, and you could see the stress on her face. She was a single mom who needed to do a large amount of laundry before her shift at work. On top of that, her apartment had just been fumigated so she had several large things to wash. In fact, she had lots of things left at home that she didn’t think she’d have time to wash. But we told her we would take care of her laundry so she could go home and get the rest of it.
“We were rushing, and we got it all done in time. We filled up her entire car with laundry!
“There are so many stories just like that. Every month we meet people who have different needs. Sometimes we connect them to the Gateway Food Pantry in North Richland Hills. Sometimes we help them find information to apply for housing and even jobs.
“The hardest part of it is feeling like we can’t do enough for these families. But the biggest reward is looking back on the people we’ve been able to help. A lot of the time laundry is their smallest need, but we know we are making a difference.”
–Patti, part of the Gateway family