PORTAGE, Mich. — Three weeks after a tornado ripped through Portage, community support is still going strong. On Thursday, Kalamazoo Together offered free soap ... and a little bit of hope at Finish Line Laundry.
"It's kinda crazy situation," Autumn Schlotterback told FOX 17. "We're just trying to make the best of it."
Like many victims, Autumn went to Finish Line to do laundry for free. Her trailer at the Pavillion was damaged by the tornado that hit May 7. Since then, she's been staying at a hotel.
"They let me do four loads, so I think that was pretty cool because I got to do a load for each one of us," she said. With two little ones, laundry tends to add up quickly. She says without the "Soap and Hope" event, she'd have to spend $40 for one trip.
"I don't know what I would have did if this wasn't able to happen," she told FOX 17.
She owes it all to Kalamazoo Together, the local organization that works with unhoused individuals. Residents were given snacks and free soap to wash their clothes.
"Through the donations of people in the community, we've gotten enough money to pay for laundry for about 40 people," said Kim Chandler, a volunteer.
Not only was the event an opportunity to give back to those who need it, Kim says it provides a sense of dignity. "That hopefully will help, you know, give a little sense of normalcy back to people who've been impacted so hard by this tragedy of the tornado," she added.
For those unable to attend the event, Kim said they are trying to do another one next month.
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