A Windsor pharmacist and business owner has made a donation to offer the homeless a service, the majority of people take for granted — clean clothes.
Frank Vella, owner of Medica Pharmacy on Erie Street donated $6,000 to the Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre's Street Health to purchase a commercial washer and dryer so the homeless can clean their clothes.
Vella says when he heard of the need, he didn't hesitate.
"It is really based on things that we take for granted, like a washer and dryer, but what is important is to know that people who come here, people all over the city, everyone is entitled to dignity, everyone is entitled to have clean clothes," he says.
Although insignificant to most people, Vella says clean clothes can mean the world to a person living on the streets.
"It is the people in the community that we try not to look at everyday or try to ignore when we see them, maybe sleeping on the side of the road or going through someone's garbage."
Dave Garvin, known as Canadian Dave on the streets, does his laundry at Street Health. July 17, 2019 (Photo by AM800's Teresinha Medeiros)
Dave Garvin, who is known as Canadian Dave on the streets, was doing his laundry and says the donation means a lot.
"I can have clean clothes because when I lived on the street, I lived in a park for a while and you couldn't wash your clothes."
The donation helped to replace an older washer and dryer. Street Health currently has six washer and dryers, and the homeless will come in and book a time to wash their clothes.