Hundreds of people in the community received clean clothes Saturday after volunteer members of Local 754 and Friendly City Laundry teamed up for the Initiative’s Laundry Project, washing and drying garments at no cost.
Volunteer firefighters and staff loaded machines, sorted items, and helped bag laundry as organizers noted that rising prices and inflation are making routine chores harder for struggling families.
“Laundry is a basic necessity, and everybody deserves clean clothes,” a firefighter said. “If you can get this covered, you can have a little bit of extra money to spend on other necessities like groceries or school supplies and not have to worry about sending your kids to school with clean clothes.”
Organizers said Laundry Labs donated enough detergent for about 850 washes for the event.
The effort, organizers said, is aimed at easing the financial strain on families who must budget tightly for essentials while continuing to provide basic needs for their children.
Feeding Tampa Bay launching expanded services to help people affected by government shutdown
As the government shutdown continues with no immediate signs of a resolution, Feeding Tampa Bay is prepared to provide help for people whose paychecks are on hold.
“So maybe somebody that’s at the airport, maybe somebody that’s a contractor for our military services. Those folks will suddenly be without a paycheck,” said Thomas Mantz, President & CEO, Feeding Tampa Bay.
