CHICAGO — Wash Smart Laundry reports it wrapped up a three-week community assistance program on Nov. 26, providing free laundry services to 850 additional families across its 17 Chicagoland locations.
The free-wash effort supported residents who were affected by delays in SNAP benefits and brought the total number of households served to 1,350.
The company launched the initiative in early November in response to the federal government shutdown that halted SNAP benefits for a time, leaving nearly 2 million Illinois residents — including about 900,000 in Chicago — without their usual food assistance, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services and media reports.
Although benefits were restored Nov. 20 after the 43-day shutdown, many residents continue to face financial strain. Wash Smart created the laundry program to help cover an essential expense for families who may have needed extra support.
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do,” says Joey Gilb, chief operating officer of Wash Smart Laundry. “This program is one way we can say thank you and offer real help to families in our community who are under added stress right now.”
On Nov. 26, Wash Smart provided the first 50 customers at each of its 17 locations with laundry cards valued at $10 each to cover a full wash and dry cycle. During program hours, SNAP recipients could present their benefit card at the counter to receive a laundry card.
The initiative received support from aldermen Stephanie D. Coleman, Julia M. Ramirez, Jeylú B. Gutiérrez and Derrick G. Curtis, and state Rep. Matt Hanson, all of whom shared information about the program with residents in their districts.
The program reached communities across Chicago’s South and West sides, along with suburban areas that included Addison, Elgin, Franklin Park, Montgomery, Niles, and West Chicago.
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