Suds of Love

What Suds of Love does

Suds of Love, Inc. is a faith-driven nonprofit organization founded in 2021 by Tina Bowen and headquartered in Bolivia, North Carolina. It delivers free mobile laundry, shower, and hygiene services to individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity across four North Carolina counties, using a purpose-built 30-foot mobile unit called "Miss Dorothy" equipped with three commercial-grade washer/dryer sets and a full private bathroom with hot running water. The organization also runs a washer/dryer donation program that has placed more than 40 sets in 31 high-need schools and shelters, enabling school staff to launder clothing for students in need.

Suds of Love operates on a donation-and-grant-funded model with no fees charged to recipients. All services - including mobile laundry, showers, hygiene kit distribution, and disaster-relief support - are provided at no cost, with funding sourced from individual donors, churches, community organizations, foundations (notably a $40,000 SECU Foundation grant in October 2024 and a 2025 FOCUS Broadband Community Connections Grant), and an Amazon Wishlist for in-kind goods. The organization maintains a small paid staff (1-10) and is supported by a 43-person volunteer base drawn from retirees, students, business owners, and parents.

The go-to-market is community-led mobile outreach: partner churches, schools, and shelters host scheduled "serve days" where Miss Dorothy is deployed on-site, removing transportation barriers for an unhoused population. The school donation program and an emergency disaster-relief capability extend the addressable surface beyond direct outreach. As of 2025 the organization operates a four-county service area, has restored 69 loads of laundry, distributed 1,242 hygiene bags, served 518 individuals at Coat Wash outreach days, and is actively raising capital for "Suds 2.0," a new enclosed trailer with six washer/dryer units to double capacity.

Name

Suds of Love

Legal name

Suds of Love, Inc.

Website

https://sudsoflovetruck.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Suds of Love is a faith-driven nonprofit operating a mobile laundry and shower truck (Miss Dorothy) to deliver free hygiene services to unhoused and underserved populations across four North Carolina counties, with companion washer/dryer donations to high-need schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Hygiene and Laundry Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Emergency Services (BPAGAAAE)

Keywords

• Mobile laundry services
• Homeless hygiene outreach
• Nonprofit hygiene programs
• Disaster relief services
• Community shower services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolivia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Faith-driven nonprofit funded entirely through donations from individuals, churches, community organizations, and grant programs. No revenue from services as all offerings are free to recipients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Suds of Love provides free mobile laundry, shower, and hygiene services to unhoused and underserved individuals through a 30-foot mobile truck (Miss Dorothy) equipped with three commercial-grade washer/dryer sets and a full bathroom. The organization also donates washer/dryer sets to high-need schools and provides disaster relief support with on-site hygiene services to communities affected by hurricanes, flooding, or displacement.

Product overview

Suds of Love is a faith-driven nonprofit offering a suite of hygiene-focused services centered around its mobile truck, Miss Dorothy. The core offering consists of free mobile laundry services (with three onboard washer/dryer sets), shower access, hygiene product distribution, and disaster relief support. The organization also operates a school equipment donation program, providing washer/dryer sets to high-need schools. Suds 2.0 represents an expansion initiative for a new enclosed trailer with six washer/dryer units to increase service capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mobile Laundry Services (Miss Dorothy) Free mobile laundry service delivered via the 30-foot Miss Dorothy truck, offering three onboard commercial-grade washer/dryer sets to provide clean clothing to unhoused and underserved individuals across Brunswick County and surrounding NC counties.
• Shower Services Private, full-service shower access for individuals experiencing homelessness, providing hot water and a full shower setup within the Miss Dorothy truck.
• Hygiene Products Distribution Distribution of essential hygiene products including soap, shampoo, deodorant, period care, and dental hygiene tools to those in need, provided through donor support and hygiene kit drives.
• Disaster Relief and Emergency Support Emergency response service providing hot showers, laundry, and hygiene support to communities affected by hurricanes, flooding, or displacement, deployed in coordination with local agencies.
• Washer and Dryer Donations to Schools Donation program providing washer/dryer sets to high-need schools and shelters, installed on-site to enable school staff to wash student clothing, reducing absenteeism, bullying, and health concerns.
• Suds 2.0 Enclosed Laundry Trailer An expansion initiative building a new enclosed laundry trailer with six washer and dryer units to serve more families across Brunswick County and surrounding communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 615 loads washed at schools with donated machines
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southport Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatthew 25 Church partner that hosts Suds of Love service events. Provides hospitality and community space for outreach activities. Represents the organization's faith-based community network.
• Brunswick County Streetreach - HOPE for the HopelesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization serving those in need. Collaborates with Suds of Love on serve days, providing coordinated outreach services including showers (Streetreach) and laundry/hygiene distribution (Suds).
• Camp United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShallotte, NC church partner that collaborates on serve days, providing food, eggs, and additional support alongside Suds of Love's laundry and hygiene services.
• FOCUS BroadbandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAwarded 2025 Community Connections Grant to Suds of Love. Telecommunication company supporting local community initiatives through grant funding.
• The Home DepotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome improvement retailer where John and Mark provided plumbing skills, advice, and expertise for building the Suds 2.0 trailer. Represents volunteer professional skills donations.
• High-Need Schools (Brunswick County Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner31 schools reached in 2025 with services. Schools receive washer/dryer donations enabling staff to wash student clothing. Partnership supports student wellness and reduces absenteeism.
• Local Shelters and ChurchescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple shelter and church partners throughout Brunswick County provide hosting locations for mobile service events and help identify individuals and families in need.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lava Mae: Lava Mae operates mobile shower and hygiene services for people experiencing homelessness, originally in San Francisco. It is the closest functional analogue to Suds of Love's mobile laundry/shower truck model, both delivering free hygiene infrastructure directly to unhoused communities.
• Mobile Loaves & Fishes: Mobile Loaves & Fishes delivers food, clothing, and other essential services on trucks to people experiencing homelessness in Austin, TX. It shares Suds of Love's faith-driven, volunteer-powered, mobile-outreach operating model serving unhoused populations free of charge.
• Mercy Chefs: Mercy Chefs provides hot meals and disaster relief through mobile kitchen deployments, largely faith-funded. Comparable to Suds of Love in delivering free, mobile, volunteer-staffed services to disaster-affected and underserved communities.
• Showers for the Homeless: Showers for the Homeless operates mobile shower trailers serving unhoused individuals in multiple U.S. cities. Shares Suds of Love's direct mobile-hygiene approach targeting the same beneficiary population.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities operates an extensive national network providing emergency relief, social services, and humanitarian aid to low-income and unhoused populations. Comparable as a faith-driven, donor-funded social services organization, though much broader in scope.
• Salvation Army USA: The Salvation Army delivers emergency relief, disaster services, and shelter support nationwide, including hygiene-related services. Comparable as a faith-driven nonprofit providing free humanitarian services to underserved populations, though far larger in scale.

Emerging players

• Cleaning for a Reason: Cleaning for a Reason provides free professional cleaning services to cancer patients and their families. Comparable as a nonprofit that wraps a free cleaning/hygiene service around a vulnerable population, though targeting a different beneficiary group.
• Operation Warm: Operation Warm provides coats, shoes, and hygiene kits to children in need across the U.S. Comparable as a nonprofit distributing essential personal items free of charge to underserved populations through partner networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/sudsoflovetruck.nc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Suds of Love