What do the laundry symbols mean?
March 18, 2025
Omaha Dry Cleaner & Uniform Rental Company Leverages Garment Care Expertise to Support Community Alongside Nonprofit Partner Project Intentional
November 20, 2025
Max I. Walker, a fifth-generation family-owned dry cleaning and laundry company serving the Omaha metro for more than 100 years, has completed its inaugural Max’s Coats for Kids charity initiative with outstanding success. What began as a goal to collect 300 coats resulted in around 1,200 coats donated, cleaned, and prepared for distribution to local children and families.
As part of the campaign, customers and community members were encouraged to donate new or gently used children’s coats at Max I. Walker locations from August 1 through October 31. Each donated coat was professionally cleaned at no charge by the Max I. Walker Uniform Rental Division before being passed on to nonprofit partner Project Intentional.
The company also received assistance from organizations and customers who hosted mini-drives on their behalf. And several Max I. Walker customers purchased and donated brand new coats, including a customer named Barbara who received an inheritance and chose to pay it forward by filling the donation box at the Max I. Walker Papillion store with new coats. Another customer, Margaret, was unable to donate coats but she hand-knitted and donated over 50 stocking caps to be given out.
The freshly cleaned coats were distributed at the Project Intentional LOVE CAN Store, a large-scale community outreach event held in early November. Remaining coats will be given away at the nonprofit organization’s Thanksgiving pop-up event, which provides a free meal and essential items to individuals and families in need.
The collection effort was supported internally by Max I. Walker’s Uniform Rental Operations team, who sorted, cleaned, counted, and packaged the coats for delivery.
“Our Uniform Rental team is equipped to handle large volumes of donated garments, and we knew we could make a meaningful impact by combining our resources with the generosity of the Omaha community,” said Steph Dorland, Marketing Director at Max I. Walker. “We’re proud to have exceeded our goal and to help keep so many children warm this season.”
When Max I. Walker set out to launch a new philanthropy initiative, choosing one rooted in garment care was a natural fit.
“Dry cleaners and launderers are important community partners in times of need,” said Casey Walker, fifth-generation owner. “We’re in the business of garment care, and initiatives like this allow us to apply our expertise for good. This is just the beginning — Max’s Coats for Kids will continue as an annual program.”
In addition to coats, Max I. Walker contributed 150 pairs of new socks for Project Intentional’s Thanksgiving outreach event.
The company expects to expand the Max’s Coats for Kids program in 2026, with updated donation resources and increased collection capacity.
