Middle school gets laundry machine to help students in need

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Students and staff greeted washing and drying machines with cheers Wednesday at a Houston middle school.

It's a sign of a bigger issue impacting the campus.

West Houston Assistance Ministries, known as WHAM, made the donation to Paul Revere Middle School to help address basic needs.

According to Lisa Iparrea, a client services director at WHAM, the principal brought up the need for laundry facilities, as a result of some students requiring access to clean clothes.

"Most families in this community, they struggle to pay rent, to pay light bill, to pay water, to pay electricity," expressed Iparrea. "Once they meet all those things, they don't have money for the basic essentials like laundry detergent, toothbrushes, toothpaste or soap."

Principal Monijit Katial explained that dirty clothes led to bullying and attendance issues, so she welcomed WHAM's donation.

"I'm going to be really excited. I think this is a really big move in the right direction for our campus in meeting student needs and being a facility where we are the hub for community," said Principal Katial. "We do whatever it takes for students to be successful."

Students also welcomed the donation, since they see friends struggling to keep up.

"Some friends I have don't have a washing and dryer at home. They have to go to a washateria," said seventh grader Jayquan. "It's a great thing to have a washateria at school so they can wash their clothes and don't have to worry about nothing."

For more information on WHAM, visit www.whamministries.org .