By 2 p.m. every third Monday of the month, lines are forming around Leah’s Laundromat on the Q in Kansas City, Kansas.
It’s like any other laundromat in the Kansas City metro except it’s Community Laundry Day and that means free laundry.
Leah and John McPherson are the owners of the laundromat. When they opened up shop at 1920 Quindaro Boulevard they didn’t realize the impact it would have on the community.
“I know this is a laundromat, but I’ve learned over the two years, two and a half years that we’ve been open, it’s more than just laundry,” Leah McPherson said.
Community Laundry Day goes deeper than cleaning clothes.
Leah McPherson runs Leah’s Laundromat on the Q in Kansas City, Kansas, where members of the community gather once a month for Community Laundry Day. “The mission behind it is to get as many families in here to get laundry done,” Leah McPherson said. “ Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Outreach workers from the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County are assessing customers’ health needs on event day. Ben Carpenter, the New Roots for Refugees Education and Outreach Coordinator, can been found passing out free produce to customers that was grown at local refugee owned farms.
Kim Weaver is the Local Health Action Team Lead for Communities Organizing to Promote Equity or COPE. Her organization is the primary funder for the event and covers the utility bill and food for the day. Other funding and donations come from Laundry Love, the K-State Research Extension, Mothers of Wyandotte County, Keeler’s Woman Center, and Ladies of Pearl.
“It’s a beautiful thing. It really brings joy to my heart to know that somebody has been in a space that they couldn’t do something and now we’re able to help them have access to clean clothes,” Weaver said.
Catalina Luis, left, receives a free laundry bag from Kim Weaver while Elijah Ricketts stands by at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Community Laundry Day has become a lifeline to the community served by Leah’s Laundromat on the Q at North 20th Street and Quindaro Buoulevard in Kansas City, Kansas. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Customers at Community Laundry Day wash their clothes at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q. “This is just another place where we could actually help people out and be a resource,” John McPherson said. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Ben Carpenter places a bundle of green onions into Byron Kirkwood’s bag during Community Laundry Day at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q, Carpenter is the New Roots for Refugees Education and Outreach Coordinator and helps provide free produce for customers during the monthly event. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Bags of free cherry tomatoes are set out for customers at Community Laundry Day at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Cups of laundry detergent are offered free on Community Laundry Day at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Angel de la Cruz, left, plays a game on his phone while his brother Ian de la Cruz drinks milk and their mother, Catalina Luis stands near by on Community Laundry Day at Leah’s Laundromat. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Leah McPherson, left, directs customers to washing machines at last month’s Community Laundry Day at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q in Kansas City, Kansas. “There was no way we were going to change this area around without injecting a lot of hope, a lot of stuff that people need in the community,” Leah’s husband John McPherson said. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Cheriah Seawood, left, Anotida Mafuvadze, and Chenel Seawood, read books together in the children’s corner at Leah’s Laundromat. Community Laundry Day is staffed by a network of volunteers, health care workers, and community advocates who assist in providing help and social services to customers. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Customers eat free pizza and wait for their laundry to be finished on Community Laundry Day at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q in Kansas City, Kansas. “If someone comes in and needs to speak to someone because they don’t have food, they don’t have diapers, they don’t have formula, they’re homeless, there is someone here for them to talk to,” Leah McPherson said. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Clothing spins in a washing machine during Community Laundry Day on at Leah’s Laundromat on the Q. Free loads of laundry are funded through COPE, a Kansas City, Kansas, based non profit that spearheaded the free laundry day. Zachary Linhares zlinhares@kcstar.com
Zachary Linhares is a visual intern for the Kansas City Star. Before joining The Star in 2023, he covered firearm violence and homelessness in Missouri as a freelance photojournalist. He was part of a team that won first place for Multi-Media Reporting in the 2022 Missouri Press Foundation Better Newspaper Contest. Linhares was also part of a team that was recognized as a finalist for the Insight Award for Visual Journalism - Medium Division for three stories on homelessness in Columbia, Mo. Linhares is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he studied journalism.
