Two women are planning to provide showers to hundreds of homeless people each week in Stockton and Lodi.
Mary Jarrard and Kelly Hanisch have a 20-passenger bus and a vision called “Showered with Love.” They are retrofitting the bus with two shower stalls and plan to have it on the road within three to six months.
Jarrard says she has worked on a similar program in Modesto that provides showers for 600 people a month.
“Sometimes they haven’t taken a bath for a month and just to be able to come and get six minutes of hot water, clean socks, clean underwear — they feel like a million bucks,” she said.
They plan to operate the program four days a week, providing 50 showers a day.
Jarrard says showering can give people the confidence to go to court dates, see family members or get a job.
The two women say everything from the bus to towels has been donated.
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