Cost of laundry weighs heavy on families during pandemic

TAMPA, Fla. - To those affected financially by the COVID-19 crisis, even the price to wash a load of laundry is an even heavier burden. That's why this year's Laundry Project event is more important than ever.

The Laundry Project is run by the nonprofit organization Current Initiatives. They've been doing free laundry days every year, but now they've ramped up their efforts.

“Essentially we take over a laundromat and turn it into a community center for a few hours,” explained founder Jason Sowell.

The group provides free laundry services to anyone. That includes soap, if you need it.

The Laundry Project has been especially busy during the pandemic.

“We typically do 80 Laundry Projects in a year. We’ve done 42 in the past 15 weeks,” said Sowell.

The group also partners with mural artists who create art on laundromat walls.

“Laundromats aren’t fun places to hang out. They’re not great looking. They are very industrial. So we wanted to help beautify them,” Sowell said.

The Laundry Project is funded by private donors. If you are interested in donating or volunteering with the project, visit https://laundrybycurrent.org/.