Orange Sky Laundry
| Established | 4 September 2014 Operating since 10 October 2014 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Nic Marchesi Lucas Patchett |
| Founded at | Brisbane |
| Registration no. | 85890622990 |
| Services | Free laundry for homeless |
| Website | www |
Orange Sky Laundry is a charity based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia that offers a free mobile laundry service for the homeless. It was established on 4 September 2014 and began operations on 10 October 2014. In January 2016 its founders, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, were awarded joint Young Australians of the Year for their social entrepreneurship.
Marchesi describes himself and Patchett as "two normal everyday blokes who had a crazy idea". They had previously volunteered at food vans and other outreach programs while still at school, and had a passion to help the homeless. Their idea "started as a fun test project — to see if it would work. From there, it took a life of its own.” They took the name for their service from the Alexi Murdoch song "Orange Sky", which is about lending a hand to those in need.
Orange Sky Laundry is a government registered charity. The service is believed to be a world first.
In February 2015, five months after they started with the first van in Brisbane in October 2014, and two weeks after their expansion into Cairns, Cyclone Marcia hit the central Queensland coast and the then 20-year-olds headed to the area to offer their free service to affected communities. Similarly, in January 2016, they travelled to Victoria to provide laundry services to people affected by the Great Ocean Road bushfires.
The laundry vans filled a service gap and not only offered clean clothes and blankets but also dignity. Marchesi says the human connections enabled to the isolated is the most important aspect of their initiative. Each van also carries six orange chairs. During the time the laundry is being washed and dried in the vans, the volunteers sit and socialise with the visitors.
Orange Sky began operating its second van (in Cairns) by February 2015, and its third in Melbourne in June. Their first birthday, and World Homeless Day 2015, were celebrated with a new service in south east Victoria, funded by partners The Good Guys (who provided half of the funding for the van), the Jelley Family Foundation, and the Bennelong Foundation. Other vans began operating in Sydney in November 2015,Gold Coast in January 2016,Perth in February 2016,Adelaide in March 2016,Sunshine Coast in April 2016,Canberra in April 2016, and Hobart in July 2016.
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