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Denver laundromat covering cost of laundry to anyone struggling during pandemic

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Posted at 4:31 PM, Feb 15, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-15 20:45:51-05

DENVER — It's a necessity many of us take for granted.

"It’s it’s laundry but like it’s more than that," said 23-year-old Maribel Hernandez.

Hernandez couldn't afford to clean her family's clothes and the piles were stacking up.

"It wasn’t just a little bit of laundry, it was a lot. We probably had like six bags, like big bags," Hernandez tells Denver7.

With no where else to turn, Hernandez posted on a Facebook group designed to help anyone impacted by the pandemic. James Marquez, an employee with Jessica's Laundromat in Denver, was tagged in the comment section.

"I talked to a lot of people who said, 'covid did this, or covid did that,' but the one thing that remains is we still got to eat, locally by the way, and we still had to wash clothes," said Marquez.

Marquez immediately reached out to Hernandez to help.

"She was telling me her story and I just busted into tears and got so emotional. She’s so young and had this world on her shoulders," Marquez explains.

"Immediately he was open arms and here to help," Hernandez continues, "he even gave us soap and didn’t ask for anything in return."

Hernandez may have been the first recipient of the new program footing the laundry bill being called "Suds of Love," but she wasn't the last.

"There’s so many people in the community reaching out to me. It’s so amazing, it’s so gratifying," said Marquez.

Marquez says he's helping 2-3 families per day since then and now, members of the community are even volunteering their time to help out.

"Just come and bring your laundry, he doesn’t expect anything out of it. It touches me," Hernandez said of the program.

If you'd like to donate or volunteer you can contact Jessica's Laundromat by clicking here.