Bundles of love

BROOKSVILLE As a single mother of four, Diane Faillace has her work cut out for her.

Along with providing the basic necessities like food and shelter for her children, who range in ages from 11 to 19, Faillace, 38, also washes at least one load of laundry a day, which puts a heavy burden on her electric bill.

"My washer is always going," she said. "With four kids, I've constantly got laundry to do."

But Faillace found some relief from her budget constrains Saturday morning during Brooksville's first Laundry Love Project held at Howell Avenue Laundry, where the Tampa-based, nonprofit organization Current provided free laundry services to low-income families.

"I can do the rest of the little things I need to now," she said. "It's good for the community. I think it's decent because someone is actually helping someone else and not taking from them."

Howell Avenue Laundry owner John English, 67, and Bob Riley, 44, of Pronto Cleaners, contacted Current several months ago to bring the project to Hernando County in the hopes of holding the event every two months.

"I thought 'Man, that's something we could use in Brooksville,'" Riley said. "We want people to feel good, to leave feeling good that the community is there for them."

"It's such a pleasure to be a part of what these guys are offering," English said. "The people could use some help. I look forward to this expanding, expanding my connections to the community."

Founder and president of Current, Jason Sowell, 32, said a simple chore like laundry can become a large stress, especially for low-income families who sometimes have to choose between food and clean clothes for the week.

"We basically turn the Laundromat into a community center," he said. "I see it as if anybody needs to use a Laundromat, then they could use some help. Clean laundry brings dignity to people. We want people to know there are people that love them."

After getting off the night shift at Heartland of Brooksville, Sandra Daly, 47, a certified nurse's assistant, headed to Howell Avenue to get her weekly laundry done.

Daly, who tries to save a dollar or two by hanging her clothes to dry, said she was inspired by the generosity of the volunteers and Current, which has been providing free laundry services throughout the Tampa area for more than two years.

"I thought that was a real nice thing to do for the community," she said.

For more information about the Laundry Love Project or Current of Tampa Bay, visit www.laundrybycurrent.org

Reporter Hayley Mathis can be reached at 352-544-5225 or hmathis@hernandotoday.com.