Free laundry and shower charity for housing deprived seeks Hawke’s Bay volunteers

Orange Sky senior impact manager Kat Doughty has come to Hawke's Bay with her team to find volunteers for the regional launch of their free laundry and shower service. Photo / Paul Taylor

A non-profit organisation providing free laundry services and showers for people experiencing homelessness or hardship is expanding to Hawke’s Bay in response to growing demand after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Orange Sky Aotearoa’s laundry vans contain two solar-powered washing machines and two dryers, while their hybrid vans also include a shower.

Founded in Brisbane in 2014, Orange Sky launched its first service in New Zealand in 2018. It began in Auckland before expanding to Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and most recently Porirua.

Now they are seeking 50 Hawke’s Bay volunteers for the region’s first laundry van launching on August 14 and are hosting three information days from Thursday to Saturday this week for interested people

Senior impact manager Kat Doughty said Orange Sky vans were also capable of serving in an emergency management capacity in the case of a disaster, referring to aid they were able to offer those affected by the Loafer Lodge hostel fire in Wellington and the Auckland Anniversary floods.

“We came down last year in August after being approached by the community and met with the service providers down here to see what the level of need was.

“There were so many families displaced and they are still displaced. So we are here to support not just those who are sleeping rough or homeless, but anyone in the community who has a need.”

She said they hope to run six shifts every week across the region and she expects they could do 10 washes per day for anyone who needs it.

“We don’t take names, we don’t ask questions.”

Orange Sky Aotearoa’s eye-catching orange laundry vans contain two solar-powered washing machines and two dryers, while their hybrid vans also include a shower. Photo / Paul Taylor

She said they were working with local service providers and councils to figure out where they could set up the van and the locations will eventually be published on the Orange Sky website.

The first information day will be May 23 from 10am until 12pm at Camberley Community Centre, 703 Kiwi St.

The second is May 24 from 11am until 1pm at Hastings Church, 208 Market St South.

The final one will be May 25 from 8.30am until 12.30pm at Napier Urban Farmers Market, Clive Square in Napier.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz