Hope Bridge Launches Laundry Relief Activities for 23 Welfare Facilities in Gangneung Affected by Drought

A volunteer from Hope Bridge is washing collected laundry inside a mobile laundry relief vehicle. Photo by Hope Bridge

Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association (President Lim Chaecheong) announced on September 11 that it has launched laundry relief activities for 23 welfare facilities and nursing homes in Gangneung City, where laundry has become difficult due to severe drought.

This initiative is taking place in the parking lot of the Gangneung Youth Marine Training Center in Jumunjin. The location, adjacent to Yangyang, allows the use of a separate water source, and laundry can be done with water drawn from the Yeongokcheon stream. This is helping to ease the burden on facilities that have faced challenges in maintaining hygiene due to a prolonged water shortage.

Hope Bridge, in cooperation with local organizations, collects laundry from each facility, washes and dries it in the mobile laundry vehicle, and then delivers it back. The laundry relief activities are scheduled to continue until September 16.

A Hope Bridge mobile laundry relief vehicle installed in the parking lot of Gangneung Youth Marine Training Center. A volunteer is carrying laundry. Hope Bridge

A special 5.5-ton mobile laundry vehicle, produced with the support of Lotte Group, has been deployed at the site. The vehicle is equipped with three 18kg large-capacity washing machines and three 23kg large-capacity dryers, enabling the on-site washing and drying of approximately 1,000kg of clothing and bedding per day based on eight hours of operation.

Kim Migang, head of the Disaster Relief Management Team at Hope Bridge, stated, "This activity goes beyond simply supplying water; it fills the gaps in daily life caused by the drought. We will continue to work with local organizations to meet on-site needs and prepare both emergency laundry support and long-term drought response measures."