Hi all, I’m Dean, Founder of Shower and Laundry Shuttle. I wanted to give you a quick highlight of the year ahead because in 2020, our vision is clear — just like having 20/20 vision!

But before I tell what’s ahead, let me recap 2019 because it was another successful year of Restoring Hope and Dignity To Those In Need in our community through our 2 Shower Shuttles and our just-launched Laundry Shuttle.

A quick look back …

Cleansing Hope Shower Shuttle (Shower Shuttle for short), recently celebrated a milestone!  In December, 2019, we rejoiced when we hit the 25,000 mark!  That’s right, we’ve provided 25,000 showers since our launch in 2016.  We currently have two Shower Shuttles operating 4 days a week at 5 different locations.  It’s here that we offer much more than a hot shower … relationships are built, needs are met and people get to see Jesus in our words and actions.

Much of 2019 was spent literally building the vision the LORD gave us in 2018:  Cleansing Hope Laundry Shuttle (Laundry Shuttle for short).  Your prayers and financial support to help meet yet another practical need — clean clothes — came to reality on December 6, 2019 when we had our Ribbon Cutting to officially launch this new arm of our ministry (photo of Modesto Mayor Ted Brandvold and City Council Member, Jenny Kenoyer and Dean Dodd).  The Laundry Shuttle will run 2 days per week at 2 locations initially.

Here’s what’s ahead!    

As we move into this new year, we do so with grateful hearts to see what our LORD has accomplished through this small but ambitious ministry.  We’re even more excited about what the year ahead has in store because we’re PRAYING, PLANNING and ASKING God to direct our every step.

One of the things I’m really excited to announce that God did on our behalf in 2019 was provide a new website for Shower Shuttle and Laundry Shuttle (and chances are you’re reading this blog post on it, so click around!)  It’s mobile-friendly, has great content about the lives the LORD is changing and provides new ways for people to connect, give and become involved in His work.  If you found this post some other way, be sure to check it out at https://www.showershuttle.org.

Here’s what we’re praying and asking the LORD to do in the year ahead.

- Raise Up 50 Trained and Equipped Volunteers to come and serve alongside our staff and support the Shower and Laundry Shuttle sites and operations throughout the week.  We’ll actively look for people with willing hearts to serve with us this year.  We need you!

- Begin laying the groundwork to launch our third Shower Shuttle to serve outlying cities of our county.  Cities like Riverbank, Patterson, Empire, Turlock, Oakdale and others are desperate for our service — they have said so!  While we have a bus ready to be converted to a Shower Shuttle, we are waiting on the Lord’s timing to provide the people, financial resources and operational support to make it all happen.

- Provide more partnerships in 2020.  When churches, civic groups, local governments and individuals with open ears and willing hearts hear about what we are doing, most often they desire to partner in some way.  Pray the Lord will open the door to the kind of speaking, presentation and relationship-building opportunities in 2020 that produce fruit for the Kingdom!

- Provide for the on-going operational needs of the ministries.  We realize it’s not very appealing or interesting to talk about the need to pay our rent, put gas in the Shuttles, replace broken equipment from time to time,  buy socks and underwear for our guests or meet payroll for our people, but it’s a reality.  Finding ways to communicate our operational needs that translates to making us more financially solid is one of our goals in 2020.

The work we’re doing is making a difference, but THAT difference happens, in large measure, because of your support — both financially and by working alongside us as a volunteer.

Will you consider joining us in our journey to Restore Hope and Dignity To Those In Need?

Helping others helps us all!

Dean Dodd

“And the King will answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  Matthew 25:40