This is what community is all about!
Nicky Crawford is an Atlanta resident who is making the most of his retirement. Not content with just sitting at home watching the clouds roll by, Crawford has made it his mission to help out his fellow community members. According to 11 Alive, Atlanta is the hub for more than a quarter of Georgia’s homeless population, a dire issue for the unhoused desperately in need of the basics.
In 2022, Crawford established his nonprofit, Flowing with Blessings organization, which provides free mobile shower trailers for Atlanta’s unhoused population. This initiative has been a beacon of hope for many struggling with housing issues, and Crawford has now extended that work to include laundry services, further enhancing the org’s offerings for those who need it the most.
With the invaluable support of a team of student-led engineers from Georgia Tech, Crawford has transformed a school bus into a mobile laundry room for the unhoused. Their dedication and innovative spirit have been instrumental in this project, inspiring hope for the future of community service. The mobile laundry bus was recently unveiled at a Juneteenth event, Crawford speaking to the importance of this service with the rise in evictions in Atlanta’s Fulton County.
“What we’re trying to do is get them clothes they can have for the week so they can change clothes because a lot of times it’s not them that smell, it’s the clothes…I tell them when they come here, this is a family environment. We want you to come here. Feel comfortable. Get you something to eat. Get you a shower,” Crawford explained.
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He was able to give the students his vision and allow them to design the mobile bus. He’s very proud of this work and has already partnered with other local organizations to help execute the vision, creating a community around his mission. For Crawford, it’s his duty to give to those who need it, his way of thanking God for his own grace and mercy.
“I have always had a love for people who were less fortunate because I think I told you…other than the grace of God, this could be me,” Crawford told reporters.
Cover photo: Atlanta Retiree Creates Mobile Laundry Service for Homeless Population/Photo Credit: @FlowingWithBlessingsInc/Instagram