Laundry Love Byrne Dairy has expanded to the Oxford Laundromat. The first free laundry washing and drying event will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16 and will continue on every third Tuesday of the month. Norwich events will be held every third Wednesday of the month from 4 to 6 p.m. at Byrne Dairy in Norwich. (Photo from the Oxford Laundromat Facebook page)

OXFORD — After a successful first laundry-washing event in Norwich last month, local Laundry Love Organizer Shannon Wright has expanded services to Oxford.

Laundry Love is a nationwide organization that pays for the washing and drying of clothing for those that need assistance. There are no income guidelines to utilize Laundry Love services.

The Norwich-based Laundry Love events began on April 19 and will continue on the third Wednesday of every month from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Norwich Byrne Dairy, located at 69 East Main Street in Norwich.

Beginning on Tuesday, May 16 from 9 to 11 a.m., Laundry Love will also be held at the Oxford Laundromat, located at 18 Lafayette Park in Oxford, and will continue on every third Tuesday of the month. Last washes for each event will begin at 10:30 a.m.

"I actually sent a message to the owner of the Oxford Laundromat asking him if they’d be interested, and they were very excited," said Wright.

The events are walk-in only, and will allow one four-load washer per person. The organization has enough resources to assist 18 people at Tuesday's event.

Laundry Love will provide detergent, dryer sheets, and quarters, and attendees are required to load and unload their laundry from machines, and must stay at the laundromat with their clothes for the duration of the wash.

"They come in, they register with us, they put their clothes in the washer, we put the money in. Then when their clothes are done washing they have to move the laundry to the dryer, we put the money in for that. We also provide all the detergent and dryer sheets," Wright explained.

Individuals who utilize Laundry Love services at either the Norwich or Oxford location in one month are not permitted to attend the other location's event in the same month.

As an organization that runs entirely on donations, future Laundry Love events are dependent upon support. All funds donated to Laundry Love Byrne Dairy will be put into the program to provide free laundry services for those in need at Norwich and Oxford events.

To support local Laundry Love events, enjoy a tasty meal at Angela's in Norwich tonight from 4 to 8 p.m. Mention Laundry Love when ordering a dine-in meal, and a portion of the bill will be donated to the local Laundry Love organization.

Dusty's Dairy Bar and Grill will also be holding a Give Back Night to benefit Laundry Love from 4 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 1.

Monetary donations to support the group can also be submitted by donating to @cclaundrylove on Venmo, $laundrylovenorwich on CashApp, by visiting laundrylove.org/donate-locations and searching "Norwich," or by donating cans and bottles at the Riverside Redemption Center, located at 5012 State Route 12 in Norwich.

Last month, Laundry Love Byrne Dairy was able to provide free washing and drying to 15 families and 12 individuals, with a total of 83 loads of laundry washed. The next Laundry Love Byrne Dairy event will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 17.

Wright said Laundry Love events can begin in any town with a laundromat, and setting up and organizing the events isn't a big time commitment. She hopes to see more events popping up around Chenango County.

"If anybody in a town with a laundromat would like to start one, it’s a very simple process. I mean, because I can’t do every laundromat," she said. "Outside of the fundraising, really it only takes you two hours out of the month to do it somewhere. It’s not a huge time commitment for the average person."

For more information on Laundry Love Byrne Dairy and Laundry Love Oxford events, visit the Laundry Love Byrne Dairy Facebook page.