The founder of The Front Porch in Suttons Bay, Bobbie Eggert, will be honored the weekend of Jan. 29 with a fundraiser for the Laundry Project. Eggert committed much of her time to this organization after the sale of her business in 2005, and upon realizing the community-wide need for assistance with basic laundry needs.

The Laundry Project was founded in 2004 with the help and support from the Leelanau Women’s Foundation. They host two free laundry events each month at the Suttons Bay Laundromat where low-income families, seniors and individuals with disabilities can have their basic laundry needs met. The organization, which helped over 350 people in 2020, notes that the pandemic is increasing reliance on this service: when people need to choose how to spend their limited resources, laundry is often low on the list of priorities compared to heating and groceries.

For those who bring a donation for the Laundry Project to The Front Porch (207 St. Joseph Street., Suttons Bay) from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31, the store will offer 20 percent off that day. In addition, The Front Porch will match any contributions made.

Monetary donations are being accepted along with laundry detergent and fabric softener.

“Bobbie was a force of nature and her passing last year was a true loss to Leelanau County,” says Amy Peterson, owner of The Front Porch since 2005. “We wanted to do something special to recognize Bobbie’s significant contributions to the community. She was very civic-minded, eager to help and take care of others, and the Laundry Project was special to her. [This is] something that would have made her happy, and these needs just get greater in a time like this.”