by John Dowd
Every year, the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce recognizes several individuals, businesses and organizations in the valley. This year’s honorees are: Mission Bistro, Business of the Year; Mary Casper (City Center Motel), Business Person of the Year; Darcy Hansen (State Farm Insurance), New Business of the Year; O’Hara Commons, Community Asset Award; Ravalli County Economic Development Authority, Economic Development Award; Stefani Jackson (Loads of Dignity), Unsung Hero Award; Sean Doyle (Stevensville Civic Club), Volunteer of the Year; Dyana Canavan (Partners in Home Care), Spark Plug Award; and Mary Butt (Edward Jones), Ambassador of the Year. The winners were honored at the Chamber’s annual banquet, held last week in Hamilton.
This week we’re shining a spotlight on Stefani Jackson, this year’s Unsung Hero. The Unsung Hero Award is given to an individual in the community that goes above and beyond for others, often in ways that go unrecognized. This year, the Unsung Hero Award was given to Stefani Jackson for her work with Loads of Dignity. For Jackson, however, what she does is not just for her community, it’s for her “family.”
Stefani Jackson (fifth from left), with Rodger Howard, Stephen Howard, Dawn Pastorius, Brenda Wilson (board member), Colleen Larson, Shawna Sorenson and Linda Smith (board member), standing outside Washboard Laundromat while clothes wash in the machines inside. Photo by John Dowd.
Loads of Dignity is a nonprofit Jackson started in 2019. The program provides unhoused and low-income people in the Bitterroot an opportunity to have the cost of doing their laundry paid for in full.
“We offer a variety of laundry detergents, fabric softeners, quarters and hygiene bags for adults,” says Jackson, “as well as specially curated children’s bags containing child-size hygiene items, a juice box, sensory toys, crackers, coloring books, a small pack of crayons and an age-appropriate book. Most of these children live an unstructured life under stress, which is no way for any child to grow up. The surprise of a bag just for them brightens their spirits. We strive to have each guest leave having met the last three of the five basic needs of the hierarchy. These three are the need for belongingness (social acceptance, social interaction, social affiliation), need for self-esteem (self-worth, appreciation, recognition, respect) and the need for self-actualization (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual). It also enables our guests to confidently seek or retain employment.”
About a month ago, Loads of Dignity moved their location from Hamilton to Corvallis. Now, they are set up in the new Washboard Laundromat, which Jackson said is a more centrally located place for those in the valley, saving them a little more gas.
For those who do not know how Loads of Dignity works, Jackson explained the process. She, along with board members and volunteers, sets up at the laundromat every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. They have a couple prepaid cards, which volunteers use to pay for non-profit guest laundry. According to Jackson, she puts money on them every week, about $500 worth. By the end of the week, she usually has to put more on at least once. They give the “last load” call at 1:15 to give guests time to dry their clothes.
According to Jackson, the organization helps an average of 10 to 15 people a day. It used to be more when they were in Hamilton, but as people learn about the relocation, the numbers will grow. People that come in fill out a form which asks for things like name, family size, children ages, etc. The form requires no financial information. According to Jackson, they do not ask that because she does not want her volunteers, or even herself, to judge anyone.
An example she gave was that someone could pull up in a nice vehicle. She said they could have bought that nice car before they lost everything. “There’s always more to the story than people realize,” said Jackson.
One example of this is the situation of Stephen. His father, Don, was recently diagnosed with a severe cancer, and has difficulty with his bowels. Don lives with Stephen, and the laundry bills became extreme. Paying for the cancer treatment and the bills has been hard on them. When speaking about what Loads of Dignity does for them, Stephen said, “They’ve been a godsend.”
According to Jackson, their efforts are kept alive by grants, with some community help. “We just do what we can,” said Jackson. However, in the six years she has been doing this, she said they have easily helped hundreds of people.
A key part of the language Jackson uses is that the people they help are referred to as “guests,” not clients or anything else. She said this is because she, and her volunteers, get really close to the people they help. For her, the goal is for people to feel like they have come into her home to visit, and they are using her washer and dryer. She wouldn’t want people to feel judged in her home, and she believes that dignity is huge. The volunteers will even sit down and talk, offer coffee and snacks, and hear the stories of their guests, treating people like friends and family.
According to Jackson, that treatment helps with confidence, which goes far beyond the laundry. This can trickle into how they feel in their clean clothes, and can affect things like being able to go out and get a job, hold a job or the way a child can feel when they can go to school with clean clothes. “Everyone deserves that,” said Jackson.
The same people come week to week, and sometimes they stop coming all together. “We don’t always know what happens to them afterwards,” said Jackson. She is there nearly every day the nonprofit is operating, and says, “they are my reason.” So, when a person stops coming who everyone in her extended family has grown close to, it can be hard on everyone, but sometimes it’s for a good reason.
One story Jackson told was of a woman that she had as a guest several years ago. The woman had recently gotten out of jail and was coming in regularly. Jackson said she noticed the woman was always visiting while she was high and it was often difficult not to judge the woman. However, the woman disappeared for a few years, and Jackson became worried that something bad might have happened to her. Eventually, Jackson received a long letter, with $100 in it for Loads of Dignity. In the letter, that same woman said she finally got her degree and was even looking to buy a house. The woman made it clear, “without you, I wouldn’t have made it.”
Jackson said that for that woman Loads of Dignity made a huge difference, not just because of the laundry service, but because there was someone there to listen and not to judge.
“Sometimes you don’t know what you mean to somebody, or what you’re gonna say that’s going to make a difference,” said Jackson. She added that, honestly, she does not remember any of the conversations they had, or saying anything special; she just treats everyone like friends and family.
When Jackson was notified about receiving the award, she was surprised. “Me?” she said. “There’s so many more people that do amazing things in this valley.” For her it is a personal mission, and something she was looking for to give herself a purpose. Jackson was in healthcare before. She also has epilepsy, and after having a severe seizure in an empty patient room, she lost her job. “One day, I said, ‘Lord, you’ve gotta give me a purpose.’”
Later on, she was carrying a load of clothes to her laundry machine and it hit her. “There are some people that can’t do that,” she said.
Jackson grew up in rural Texas, and they had to wash their clothes in a horse trough. She remembers going to school and being self conscious about what the other kids might say if they smelled her.
Jackson approached her husband and said she had a crazy idea. Jackson’s husband supported her, and she started looking for funding, and learned to write grants. Eventually, the program grew to what it is today.
Loads of Dignity is now located at the Washboard Laundromat, in Corvallis, at 1022 Main Street. Everyone is welcome. For those interested in helping out or learning more, interested parties can call (406) 360-7763 or email loadsofdignity2019@gmail.com. There is also more information on the organization website, loadsofdignity.com.
Look for more stories about this year’s honorees in future Bitterroot Star issues.