OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – Doing the laundry can be a chore, but not for the “bedding brigade” crew at Day By Day Shelter in Oshkosh.

“I like to volunteer here because it gives me a feeling of purpose,” volunteer Matt Mohammed said. “This place gives people a base to start from and start fresh.”

There are beds for 50 people at Day By Day Shelter, and the bedding and their clothes all get washed by the volunteer laundry crew.

“To get it done, to get the floor cleaned up, I feel like I accomplished something,” volunteer Adele Buelow said. “The people I’ve met, the smiles I get, the thank you’s I get, they’re so appreciative.”

The crew does 40 loads of laundry on the morning shift alone.

“This is a never-ending process. There’s always laundry to do,” Buelow said. “Giving these guys back their clothes clean is just one more step in the process. The help that they’re getting here is what’s really motivating. That they come in in a certain situation and will leave in a much better situation.”

Darryl Milner is an employee at the shelter. He was once homeless and knows the struggle all too well.

“I actually started here because I was actually looking for work, and they gave me the opportunity to actually start,” he said. “It actually gives me something to do and to actually move myself forward.”

You can find donation and volunteer information on the Day By Day Shelter’s website here.