The staff at Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners do more than take in coats for adults and children for the Holy Rosary Coat Drive. They professionally clean them, too.
Each year, Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners acts as a collection point for the Holy Rosary Coat Drive with the St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community and their sister parish, Holy Rosary in South Minneapolis.
Anyone who’s spent time in the Twin Cities during the winter knows the absolute necessity of a warm coat. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford one. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, about 15 million children in the United States live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold. That’s about one out of every five children.
“These are troubling statistics,” says Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaning owner Kevin Dynan, “but there’s something we can do about it.” It’s why the family-owned business volunteers as a collection point for the annual “Coats for Adults/Kids” program sponsored by the St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community, and Holy Rosary in South Minneapolis.
Dynan and his staff do more than just take in the coats they receive from residents in the Wayzata area. “We dry clean or wet clean each and every one of them before they’re delivered,” says Dynan. “In many cases, after our deep and professional cleaning, these coats might as well be brand new.”
Earlier this year, Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners invested in new dry-cleaning equipment. It allows them to use environmentally friendly hydrocarbon-based cleaning solutions, which are also gentler on fabrics. “Cleaning the coats, we collect is an extra step for us,” says Dynan, “but we believe it makes all the difference. Both children and adults receiving these professionally cleaned coats are so pleased.”
Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners expects to take in and clean more than 300 winter coats this year. Afterwards, the coats will be picked up by St. Bartholomew’s, and then distributed by Holy Rosary.
“Kids grow so fast,” observes Dynan. “Many children outgrow their winter coats in a single season. If you’ve noticed that last year’s coat just doesn’t fit, drop it off with us. We’ll make it look as good as new before it finds a welcome new home.”
About Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners: Wayzata Home Laundry & Dry Cleaners was named one of the Top Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune for the fifth consecutive year in 2018. It has been serving the Wayzata and Lake Minnetonka communities since 1955. It is a full-service cleaner, offering dry cleaning, shirt laundry, tailoring and alterations, household good cleaning, and wash/dry/fold services. The family-owned business offers free pick-up and delivery service, as well as a 24-hour drop-off at their convenient Wayzata Boulevard location.
