Over the long months that Victoria Mitchell lived in her car with her baby daughter, there was one bright spot in her life: doing laundry.

Every month, she travelled to a local laundromat in southern California to take advantage of Laundry Love, a growing faith-driven movement that helps people in need by washing their dirty clothes free of charge.

Volunteers befriend patrons and often find ways to help that go beyond free soap and quarters.

Experts say Laundry Love has grown because it is a simple way to give something necessary to people who do not have the means to do it themselves.