As a school community WestMAC raised over $5,000 to donate to Orange Sky Laundry. You can read the full story below, or visit the QT Website.
School kids take helping with the laundry to heart
IMAGINE not being able to wash your clothes for weeks?
It sounds like a basic human right and something most of us do at least once a week.
But for one section of society, having freshly washed clothes is a luxury.
An Ipswich school has gone to a massive effort to ensure hundreds of homeless people across Ipswich, and Brisbane, have access to clean clothes.
Students at West Moreton Anglican College raised $5187.05 for Orange Sky Laundry, a not-for-profit organisation offering a free mobile laundry service.
The organisation started in 2014 now has facilities across all Australia's major cities.
The donation made by the kids at West Moreton Anglican College will pay for about 800 washes of clothing for the homeless.
Student Olivia Nielsen said she was proud to have made a contribution.
"I didn't know much about homelessness until Orange Sky came to talk to us. I do now and I'm glad to be able to help," Olivia said.
But Orange Sky isn't just about clean clothes.
Orange Sky volunteer Oliver Wightman said it's also about conversation.
"Being able to have a conversation can be an amazing gift for people who are homeless," Oliver said.
"Just because people are homeless, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't have access to that basic conversation.
"For 99% of the day they are ignored by most of us.
"Imagine not talking to anyone for three days?
" How lonely would that be?
"What would it be like if that was you?
"So, what we do is about more than washing machines and dryers, it's about making people feel like part of the community.
"It's about hope."
An Ipswich school has gone to a massive effort to ensure hundreds of homeless people across Ipswich, and Brisbane, have access to clean clothes.
Students at West Moreton Anglican College raised $5187.05 for Orange Sky Laundry, a not-for-profit organisation offering a free mobile laundry service.
The organisation started in 2014 now has facilities across all Australia's major cities.
The donation made by the kids at West Moreton Anglican College will pay for about 800 washes of clothing for the homeless.
Student Olivia Nielsen said she was proud to have made a contribution.
"I didn't know much about homelessness until Orange Sky came to talk to us. I do now and I'm glad to be able to help," Olivia said.
But Orange Sky isn't just about clean clothes.
Orange Sky volunteer Oliver Wightman said it's also about conversation.
"Being able to have a conversation can be an amazing gift for people who are homeless," Oliver said.
"Just because people are homeless, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't have access to that basic conversation.
"For 99% of the day they are ignored by most of us.
"Imagine not talking to anyone for three days?
"How lonely would that be?
"What would it be like if that was you?
"So, what we do is about more than washing machines and dryers, it's about making people feel like part of the community.
"It's about hope."
Story Credit - Helen Spelitis, QT
Photo Credit - Rob Williams, QT