Laundry Capital’s Commitment to Bettering the Communities It Serves
PUBLISHED: PlanetLaundry, October 2022
By Haley Jorgensen
It takes more than money and desire to better a community. Just ask Alex Weiss. He should know.
Weiss is the owner of Laundry Capital Co. LLC – whose affiliated network of stores owns 80 Clean Rite Centers and LaundroMax locations across New York, the New England area, Ohio and other markets. And, under his leadership, Laundry Capital has successfully donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the mission of improving the communities it serves.
Weiss would be the first to tell you it’s an impossible task without strong partnerships with public and non-profit organizations.
“Throughout our company’s history, we have experimented with different concepts to reach out to the communities in which our stores are located and to find ways to support and give back to residents and customers,” he said. “We finally learned that free doesn’t always work. Having a partner who is a stakeholder and aligned with you in this mission is key.”
At Laundry Capital, Chief of Staff Felicia Galitsky helps nurture these partnerships.
“The laundromat is part of the everyday lives of the people we serve, with most customers spending two hours a week with us,” she explained. “Finding overlaps with other organizations that share a common goal to elevate and drive forward our communities is a win-win.”
In 2022 alone, Laundry Capital has worked alongside many partners to execute a number of philanthropic community efforts.
On April 15, which was National Laundry Day, every Clean Rite Center and LaundroMax location donated one free laundry load to customers – and, with every customer registration, donated another load to All Sisters Evolving Together and Safe in My Brother’s Arms. Both organizations support youth empowerment and work to enrich the lives of students in temporary housing.
Shortly thereafter, Laundry Capital hosted a memorial event to remember the victims of the Bronx’s worst fire disaster in 20 years. The fire at the Twin Parks North West public housing building killed 17 people and displaced hundreds more. Laundry Capital commissioned and unveiled a memorial mural painted on an outside wall of that neighborhood’s Clean Rite Center. Laundry Capital also donated food and $20 laundry cards to displaced residents.
At yet another Bronx-based Clean Rite Center, a ribbon cutting opened a new Read, Play & Learn space for children. Simultaneously, new programming was initiated at the laundry through partnerships with Qualitas of Life Foundation, which provided financial education sessions dedicated to improving Hispanic family financial security, and Clason’s Point Library, which provided family story time sessions.
The RPL space – designed by the LaundryCares Foundation and Too Small to Fail – supports children’s early brain and language development. It features books from Scholastic Corp., which children are encouraged to take home, as well as furniture and toys from Lakeshore Learning.
The RPL ribbon cutting subsequently led to a partnership with the New York Public Library and multiple other New York Clean Rite Centers, resulting in a series of free family story times held throughout the summer months.
Laundry Capital’s efforts will culminate this year in a Free Laundry Day across four New York Clean Rite Centers on October 10. This Free Laundry Day will be hosted in partnership with LaundryCares, which is committed to enriching the communities of its members through programming that addresses the unmet needs of laundry customers. A huge event with dozens of volunteers at each location, the Free Laundry Day is expected to provide more than 1,500 free loads of laundry across all locations – an estimated $15,000 value – along with complimentary food and entertainment for all community residents.
“A free load of laundry can mean a lot to a struggling family,” Weiss said, “especially when it comes with a smile and sincere gratitude. That’s what the Free Laundry Day is all about. It’s about giving back to our customers.”
Coin Laundry Association President and CEO Brian Wallace agrees.
“Laundry Capital understands that as a neighborhood business providing an essential service, laundromats have the opportunity – if not the obligation – to find innovative ways to connect under-resourced families with the help they need most,” Wallace noted.
Small steps forward are critical to success in this endeavor, Weiss and Wallace maintained. The key is to get started.
“Every laundromat has the capacity to give back, and there’s nothing wrong with starting small,” Wallace explained. “You can start with a stack of gently used books to share, or perhaps invite a local faith-based group to visit once a month to host a free laundry night. How about inviting other community-focused organizations to set up a small table on the weekends for local support like health screenings, financial literacy or even voter registration? Get creative. These small expressions of care and kindness can aggregate quickly, resulting in helping so many in your community, while earning you a reputation for giving back.”
At the end of the day, elevating your community can take many forms – whether it be educational programming, a little corner of a laundry where kids can read books, a free laundry load or an extra $20 on a laundry card, a mural memorial that will live for years to come, or a day-long celebration where customers are the center of attention.
“You don’t have to approach this on your own,” Weiss said. “Teaming up with local non-profits or participating in the CLA or other industry organizations can be a great way to get started in a big or small way.”
To learn more about Laundry Capital, Clean Rite Centers or LaundroMax locations, contact Felicia Galitsky at fgalitsky@laundrycapital.com or visit www.cleanritecenter.com.
For more information about the LaundryCares Foundation, its programs for store owners and how to get involved, contact Dan Naumann at: dan@laundrycares.org; or visit the organization’s website at: www.laundrycares.org.