By Manat Kaur
What happens when hotel linens get slight imperfections — a pen mark, coffee spill, or food stain? These linens contribute to the more than 15 million tons of fabric waste that is generated every year. Certain synthetic fabrics can take hundreds of years to decompose and negatively impact the environment.
Vivian Wang was shocked when she learned how perfectly usable linens were being discarded from hotels. She started Linens N Love to help these linens find a new home with people in need.
Vivian sat down with Ashoka Young Changemaker Manat Kaur to share her story of growing up the daughter of hotel employees, launching Linens N Love, and learning to lead with balance.
Tell us about your project.
Linens N Love is an organization collecting castoff hotel blankets, sheets, pillows, and towels to donate to local shelters and charities in need. Since 2014, Linens N Love has been supporting animal shelters, homeless shelters, teen shelters, veteran’s homes, and women’s homes. We’ve donated 20,000 linens over the past six years.
Our goal is to donate 100,000 linens to charities in need. Together, we have witnessed how clean bed sheets provide a sense of security and self for a victim escaping domestic violence or a family who’s lost everything from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey.
When did you first realize you had to take action, and how did you come up with your idea?
My parents work in a hotel. When my sister and I were younger, we spent our free time in the hotel’s breakfast room, waiting for our parents to finish their workday. To pass time, we used the hotel’s linens to build forts, using chairs and tables for additional support. Our childhood manifested in these pillow forts; we spent all of our time in our hideout together, from watching Disney Channel to completing homework.
The linens that we used were hotel linens that were going to be discarded due to slight imperfections. For instance, if a guest leaves behind a slight coffee stain or pen mark, then the linen no longer satisfies the hotel’s high franchise standards and so the hotel has to discard the linen. This felt very wasteful for us so we started Linens N Love to help reuse them.
What was your first step?
Our initial thought process prioritized developing our business model. We considered the recipients, the donors, and the volunteers and how we could streamline the linens donations efficiently and effectively, posing questions to consider such as “How will student leaders solicit linens donations from local hotels?” And, “How can we establish sustainable partnerships with hotels and local nonprofits?”
We first began by collecting linens from our local hotels. Then, we coordinated our first linens donation delivery at the Orange County Animal Care, soon coining our volunteer events as “deliveries.” While touring OC Animal Care, May and I realized that there were so many other shelters which could benefit from more linens.
How did you start implementing your idea?
We reached out to mentors who offered their time to provide feedback from a professional perspective. May and I connected with our school teachers for guidance and within our first few months of starting Linens N Love, we collected 1,000 linens! My sister May has been my partner-in-crime for all things Linens N Love, and I’m so thankful that we took this first step together.
What obstacles did you face and how have you overcome them?
While providing volunteering opportunities to over 500 youth leaders across 15 countries, it was difficult for me to avoid micromanaging. Overcoming micromanaging is especially important with larger organizations.
I’m constantly learning and growing from my team, figuring out how to balance my involvement. To avoid micromanaging, I’ve recruited and trained a Board of Directors. The Directors helped facilitate the Global Volunteering Program while I work with them to plan initiatives for our volunteers.
What advice would you give to other young people who want to make a difference but don’t know where to begin?
Why wait? It’s never too early (or late!) to take action. Lean on your support system and connect with friends who you think embody your mission and vision. If you don’t know where to begin, start with jotting down a few social issues that you’re passionate about. Then, place a star next to the top three issues that connect the most to you and start journaling any ideas that you may have.
Who else supported you throughout your journey? What role did they play?
I’m beyond thankful to have such a supportive network of volunteers, hotel partners, and nonprofit shelters that all tap into Linens N Love resources while also providing us with support when we need it the most.Linens N Love would not be possible without the support from Linens N Love volunteers, Chapter Presidents, Directors, and mentors.
Special shoutout to Shweta Shah, Samantha How, and Celeste Esqueda for being Linens N Love’s longest and most involved Chapter Presidents! Recently, we received a $5,000 grant from Choice Hotels International which helped us fully fund our Winter Leadership Summit in December 2019.
The passion of our organizations rests in the resilience of our student leaders.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The First Steps series, founded by Ashoka Young Changemaker Manat Kaur, aims to demystify changemaking and show how anyone can start making a change. Follow Ashoka to learn more about young changemaker stories.