The Many Thoughts of Wanda Kidd

John 13:3-5

³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, ⁴ *got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself ⁵ Then He *poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself.

Let’s talk about laundromats. Why, you ask? What do laundromats have to do with reflections from the desert? Well you may have heard about Food Deserts. According to the USDA website “areas where people are unable to gain access to healthful and reasonably priced foods. They are a major issue affecting millions of people in the U.S. and around the globe. Experts suggest that living in a food desert may put people at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and other weight-related conditions” as well as hunger. What I came face to face with on my journey was that access to ways of maintaining cleanliness for people with limited resources is also an issue that impacts many families and very little attention is given to that concern. We have a Hygiene Desert for many who live among us.

One of the first purchases Dan and I made as a married couple was a washer and dryer, even though we had to “buy it on time “ and to put it on our little rental’s porch. Since that time, I have spent precious little time in a laundromat. But, because I was gone for three months, finding a way to do laundry was a necessity. What I learned about the issues surrounding laundry for people with no access to water or equipment was sobering. Some things I knew; some I had to experience:

1. Cleaning supplies are not included in food stamps and are not usually available at food pantries. So people living with limited financial resources must purchase their own toothpaste, soap, shampoo, dishwashing detergent, toilet cleaner, personal hygiene products, and laundry detergent with cash.

2. Since so many people own their own equipment, laundromats are often not very profitable: therefore, they are not easy to find in small towns. When you do, they are not always in great neighborhoods and can be poorly lit and staffed.
3. The cost of doing one load of laundry ranged from $1.50 a load to wash and $0.25 for every 10 minutes to dry to $4.00 a load to wash and $2.50 for 20 minutes of drying. I watched a mother at the most expensive place do 6 loads of clothes for her family, which cost her $54 just for the use of the equipment alone.
4. The laundromats also insisted that each person stay with his clothes because of the turnover of machine usage and theft of clothing. So that mother was there when I arrived and was still there when I left 90 minutes later, taking a huge chunk of time, possibly her only day off that week.

I do not have a master plan on how to address these issues, but I think of Jesus chastising the disciples when they prevented the children from coming to Him.  I believe He was aware then and is aware now of the burdens that  children experience. He cares for the  ones who are accused of having cooties, and are ostracized for their hygiene habits, and the ones who  live with few resources for basic needs. He has compassion for those who are  generationally hampered by lack of knowledge and oversight that many of us take for granted.  It gives added meaning to the phrase, “suffer the little children.”

So at the very least, we can purchase extra cleaning supplies at the grocery store and take them to our local food pantry or find out if the middle and high schools that have showers could use some supplies to distribute. See if your church wants to collect supplies and take them, as a project, to the food pantry or ministry that the church works with, that would be good, as well.

But don’t stop there. Gather a group of people in our churches and communities and brainstorm ways to meet the needs with dignity and grace. The church has a great opportunity to be a change agent when we remember what we are designed and called to be and do, but if we don’t, others will.

Prayer: God of the poor and the poor in heart. There is so much we do not know about each other. Help us to look beyond the obvious to see the Holy in each of your children. Then help me to act with the love and compassion you modeled for us in the washing of the disciples’ feet. Amen

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