All change was instigated by action. It’s your time to give it a go.
“Sometimes the simplest ideas are the ones that create the greatest change in the world,” says Nic Marchesi.
WELL AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH.
Nic and Lucas Patchett are the superhuman force responsible for Orange Sky Laundry – a mobile laundry service for the homeless.
Just an FYI: Nic and Lucas are only 21.
Way to make us all feel bad, guys.
The idea behind Orange Sky Laundry was conceived during a garage pow-wow whilst sinking a couple of cold ones.
‘Straya.
Nic and Lucas were involved in a food-truck program – one of the many services they now work in conjunction with – during their days in the old school yard (where they used to laugh/cry a lot. #CatStevens4ever). After graduating, and bursting with the energy bestowed upon those recently ejected from the secondary-education, they asked themselves what else they could do for the homeless community.
“We came up with a really crazy idea of putting two washing machines in the back of a van and simply washing and drying clothes for free,” says Nic.
“The first thing anyone does in the morning is put on fresh, clean clothes and we think everyone deserves that,” says Lucas.
Lucas is currently studying a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Commerce while Nic occupies his time as a freelance cameraman. Operating on opposite ends of the spectrum, they were able to culminate their collective talent to solve both the technical and creative issues that presented themselves.
Three weeks later they’d pieced together their first van.
That was less than a year ago.
Now they have several vans operating across the country including Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne. They’re hoping to have a van in most major cities by the end of the year.
The jump from two guys in a shed to being the altruistic poster boys for charity was a fast one.
One of their mates (in what we imagine to be a ‘ha, suck it guys, imma put this shit on the internet and y’all gon’ be famous as fuck’ sort of pranks) posted about their service on Reddit. Needless to say, everyone got around it. They woke up to an inbox inundated with praise, support and donations.
So, how does Orange Sky Laundry work?
One of the vans, operated by a crew of volunteers, will head out to an area with a high homeless population such as a park, community centre or shelter. The vans will then wash and dry over 20 kilograms of laundry per hour. Orange Sky, being the kiss-ass bastards they are, also partner with different organisations in health, food and education so they can help their patrons with several things at once.
“Charities can make the biggest impact by working together – there’s no one solution to homelessness,” says Lucas.
While people wait for their clothes, Nic, Lucas and the volunteers engage them in a “non-judgemental conversation.” They both agree these talks are the most important part of their service.
“You find out some awesome stories and really get some wisdom from the guys on the street,” says Lucas.
“The friendships that are formed over those conversations are what’s going to prevent homelessness in total. We can use that hour time frame to deliver training and employment opportunities as well as provide advice,” says Nic.
This is where Orange Sky Laundry stands out from the crowd. The service is implementing new strategies to end the cycle of being without permanent address.
They have an ongoing commission with a hospital in Brisbane where people who are homeless use the van to wash aprons and gowns each Wednesday. By encouraging people to get involved, they’re delivering qualifications to those who aren’t normally in a position to receive them.
“The impact and significance of that is really exciting.”
They’re about to launch a new campaign where they teach people who are homeless to screen print Orange Sky Laundry t-shirts. In a similar manner to The Big Issue, they’ll buy the shirts off them for five dollars.
They’ve also positioned themselves to be of help during cyclones in Northern Queensland. A van is available to respond within hours to wash and dry over 1000kgs of clothes over four days.
Their advice to those interested in making a difference?
“Theres a lot of people out there who want to see change, and a lot who want to create change,” says Nic.
“Lucas and I aren’t superheroes – we don’t have heaps of letters after our names with our qualifications. We didn’t have any experience in operating anything like this. We just put our idea out there and we were blown away with the support we were given.”
“Anyone can make a change, in small ways or big.”
“You’ve just got to give it a crack,” says Lucas.
“We literally had this idea and started doing it. We’re not passionate about laundry – well, we weren’t 12 months ago – but we’re passionate about helping people and treating others how they’d want to be treated.”
Nic, Lucas and the Orange Sky team – keep on keeping on. Y’all astounding.
If you need a lil’ incentive to be a charitable person, or you’re already an amazing person and just want a holiday, then check out Ray Ban’s #Campaign4Change site. It’s the perfect place to flesh out your ideas and by joining up you’ll go into the running to attend a Boiler Room event anywhere in the world, which ain’t too shabby at all.
All images via Orange Sky Laundry.
