‘Helping the helpers.’ How Charlotte laundry service aids Duke Energy crews after Helene

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, workers from Collins Cleaners are driving a lot of miles around Charlotte picking up dirty laundry from Duke Energy crews who are working to restore power in Western North Carolina.

For owner Patrick Collins, it’s not enough to just clean the clothes for the stressed-out workers. Employees are sending the laundry bags back with snacks, water, notes of encouragement and waterproof bags.

“You don’t know if they’re sleeping in tents for a couple of days, or whether they’re going to be in a hotel or sleeping in the back of their trucks,” Collins said. “This is just just a nice way to tell them how much we appreciate them for what they do.”

Close to 14 drivers are picking up laundry early in the morning at hotels across Charlotte for Duke workers.

The laundry is returned later in the evening after it’s cleaned through multiple wash and rinse cycles. Duke Energy workers are also dropping off clothes with trailers full of clothes to Collins Cleaners locations across Charlotte.

It’s an honor , said driver Drew Nathan .

“I’m honestly feeling the urge to go up there and help and do something,” Nathan said. “I know that it’s probably a nuisance for me to be in the way for people actually like bringing stuff in, people that are supposed to be there.”

But like many other people miles away from the devastation, Nathan is glad to be doing his part.

“I’m from North Carolina and it’s a weird sense of ‘helping the helpers,’ ” he said. “And I think that’s what I felt from it.”

Collins Cleaners operates from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. with two shifts of workers. As of Tuesday, they have cleaned 13,807 pieces of clothing since the storm for 466 people from Duke Energy and other organizations.

“We’ve tried to put that word out because the name of the game really is to get them their clothes as best and as fast as we can,” Collins said.

Drivers are also planning trips farther west to cities like Hickory, which is closer to the devastation. Collins expects the work to continue through October based on information he received about hotel bookings.

“A lot of those guys are, you know, they’re traveling, and they just kind of get beat up while they’re on the road,” Collins said. “It can be really disheartening.”

About Collins Cleaners

Collins started the business in 1992 with his wife Shelby, who serves as vice president. The valet cleaning services provides pick up and delivery services for customers, including law enforcement agencies and other organizations.

Collins Cleaners connection with Charlotte-based Duke Energy began in December 1998 after an ice storm froze much of the city Charlotte. The relationship started through the Sports Page restaurant, which shared an attached building with the cleaning business at the time. Sports Page provided catering for Duke workers during disaster events, according to Collins.

And it’s also important for Duke crews to leave with good thoughts about Charlotte, Collins added.

“For us, it’s really more about just trying to give back to these guys,” he said. “And also, my wife and I are from here, so we kind of consider Charlotte our town. We want people to leave here with the best impression of Charlotte they could possibly get.”

Since Helene first struck Duke Energy’s service territory in North Carolina, the company has continued to work with local, state and federal agencies, and numerous private businesses, to support team members in some of the hardest-hit areas of the state, according to Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks.

“We greatly appreciate the support of and collaboration with these organizations and businesses as our team continue to work to rebuild the grid and restore power,” Brooks said.

The faith-based business also has a relationship with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for services. Collins has presented the idea of having mobile laundry facilities for workers in disaster areas.

But reaching people may become a challenge if destroyed roads are closed.

“There are still some things to work out,” he said. “But I think that’s just a little bit of the vision into the future of where things like this are going.”