St. Pete PD participates in 'The Laundry Project,' helps neighbors with free laundry

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s hard to make ends meet with higher costs for just about everything. You may be pinching pennies just to get your laundry done. 

On Wednesday, families were surprised to learn their laundry was going to be done for free. Volunteers with Current Initiatives and officers from the St. Petersburg Police Department worked together at Soapy’s Laundry on 16th Street North.

"For a lot of people, clean laundry is a luxury," said Jason Sowell, the founder and CEO of Current Initiative's Laundry Project. "Lots of people have washers and dryers at home, but a majority of society don’t. They have to use a laundromat and laundromats are expensive."

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"These families are choosing between buying groceries this week or washing their clothes, and we want to help take that choice off the table," Sowell said.

He said a day like this would cost them between $1,500 to $2,000 for coins in the machines and soap. He believes an average family would spend anywhere between $30 to $40 per trip to the laundromat. 

"It’s an extra $50 in my pocket," said Saudia Terry. "That can be used for groceries, things that I need like a phone bill."

Terry said they give you free washing, they carry your bags in and out of the car. She said it’s truly a blessing to have them there to help. 

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"They are helping people who can't afford to do their laundry, especially with these hard times and people without jobs," she said. 

It’s also a good opportunity for St. Pete police. Their officers said they enjoy engaging with the community. 

"I find it very rewarding," said St. Pete Police Officer Luis Martinez. "People are generally grateful we can offer these little surprises here and there."

So far, "The Laundry Project" has cleaned more than 1.4 tons of laundry since it began in 2008. They’ve helped more than 27,000 families. 

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