At a parking lot of a Montgomery church, the city’s homeless population are being showered with kindness and receiving loads of love during the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s all thanks to River City Church’s portable “Clean Machine,” which is a trailer featuring three washers and dryers and two shower units.

Those who are homeless are welcomed to come down to the church located at 301 Dexter Avenue and use the trailer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Only one load of laundry per day is allowed. Washcloths, towels, soap, shampoo and conditioner are on the house.

Missions and outreach director Patrick Aitken said the clean machine is fulfilling a desperate need in his community, especially since day shelters ceased laundry and shower operations due to the coronavirus.

But the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention warns that the homeless community is vulnerable to the virus due to preexisting health conditions, lack of healthcare and lack of access to soap and water.

“Somebody has to step up and fill the niche,” Aitken said.

“We are asking everybody to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds several times a day. The homeless can’t wash their hands. They don’t have the opportunity to take a shower or even wash their clothes.”

Aitken and River City Church Senior Pastor Justin Todd spotted the “Clean Machine” while attending a conference at another church in Eclectic, a small town in Elmore County, about a month ago. After chatting with the other church’s staff, the trailer was hauled up to Montgomery a few weeks later. Aitken said River City Church will be borrowing the trailer until early May.

“I remember when I saw it. I went to Justin and I was drooling. I said, ‘Pastor, we need this bad,’” Aitken said. “Of course, a month ago, I didn’t know how badly we were going to need it.”

While the church is responsible for bringing the “Clean Machine” to Montgomery, it’s really the community that’s keeping the trailer running. The trailer is stocked with towels, detergent, soap and other donated items. One of Aitken’s high school classmates fixed an expensive plumbing issue for free.

“People are coming together to say, ‘We can’t go out and serve the homeless, but we can make it possible for you guys to do so,’” Aitken said.

Aitken said he needs more volunteers who are willing to work two or three hour shifts to help the homeless. Procedures are put in place to protect volunteers from the disease. Volunteers wear gloves and face masks as they wash the clothes while the homeless are using the showers, which are disinfected with bleach after every use. Those interested in becoming volunteers can email Aitken at RiverCityMissions@gmail.com.

Aitken said volunteering will not only spread hope during such a chaotic time for Alabamians, it will also open their hearts to care for those who are homeless.

“There is no difference between our neighbors in need on the streets and us other than we are fortunate to have a roof over our heads,” he said. “But with a pandemic, most of us are one or two paychecks away from losing that (roof) ourselves. So we are all in this together. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. No one is better than anyone else.”