Hunger’s End is expanding its assistance to Manatee County residents with a new mobile outreach program aimed at helping families and individuals with another basic necessity: clean laundry.
The Bradenton-based nonprofit recently completed its first laundromat outreach using a new mobile unit. The program will provide free laundry assistance on weekends, allowing Hunger’s End to take its services beyond its established food pantry and community outreach location.
The new initiative builds on years of work by Hunger’s End to address basic needs among residents experiencing financial hardship, food insecurity or homelessness.
Hunger’s End operates a food pantry in Bradenton and provides food, clothing and personal hygiene products to people in need. The organization also holds a community meal on Monday evenings.
The organization is included on the Manatee County active pantry list published by Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, which lists Hunger’s End at 1802 14th St. W. in Bradenton.
Hunger’s End has been serving the community for years. In 2020, the organization reported operating a food pantry and Blessing Closet that provided groceries, clothing and personal hygiene products while also offering a weekly community meal. The organization has also received support from other community institutions over the years.
The organization’s latest expansion was made possible through community support. Hunger’s End credited its donors along with the Hope & Hunger Foundation, Hutson Industries Motorsports, Heather and Brad Hutson and the Bishop-Parker Foundation for helping make the mobile unit possible.
The mobile laundry program gives Hunger’s End another way to reach people outside the walls of its pantry. By bringing laundromat assistance directly to those in need and covering the cost of washing clothes, the organization is targeting an everyday expense that can be difficult for households already struggling to pay for food, housing, transportation and other necessities.
The first laundromat outreach marks the beginning of the new program, with Hunger’s End planning to offer free laundry assistance on weekends as part of its continuing effort to meet residents where they are.
More information about Hunger’s End and its programs is available through the organization’s website, Hunger’s End.
