“When we talk about chronic absenteeism, students aren’t coming to school because they don’t have clean clothing,” said Noel Grigsby, associate manager of social justice and football development with the Los Angeles Rams.

So the Rams and Pacsun will donate $2 million worth of clothing to under-resourced schools in LA County through their “Geared for Greatness” initiative. They also are launching “Loads of Love” along with nonprofit Think Watts Foundation, donating a washer and dryer to 20 under-resourced schools.

“You may think that bringing a washer and dryer to 20 schools across our community may not be a big thing, until you realize many kids don’t necessarily have the clothing, and when they have it, they don’t have a place where their parents can wash it,” said Los Angeles United School District superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

One of the schools is 112th Street STEAM Academy in Watts. To celebrate the donations, the Rams and Pacsun joined Think Watts Foundation and the Los Angeles Unified School District on May 24 to host a free Pacsun Pop-Up Shopping Experience and washer and dryer ribbon cutting. The students also enjoyed a youth football clinic and received autographed cards from Rams running back Kyren Williams who joined the special day.

“This is a pure example of the power of what I like to call the See-Suite, when corporate meets community,” said Think Watts Foundation Founder Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey. “Amazing things happen when there is an aligned focus of impact between the two.”

Principal Jose Hernandez hopes the machines will ease the pressure on parents and make it easier for students to return to school. 

“Students and children can be brutally honest sometimes, and when kids come with dirty or smelly clothes, the other kids will definitely point it out to them,” he told LA School Report. “They’re not going to sugarcoat it. They’ll definitely just say, “Why do your clothes smell so bad?” or “Why are your clothes always dirty?” This definitely impacts students’ self-confidence, making it an environment where kids don’t want to be. Why would you want to be in a place where people make you feel bad about yourself? This is definitely a contributing factor to kids not wanting to be in school.”

In one situation, a family had no washer. So he gave the student clothing so he wouldn’t be bullied, and then talked to his mom. It turned out that the washer wasn’t working, so he arranged for a technician to check it out. But it turned out that the unit was full of roaches, and so the fix would only be temporary. “So, we’ve been working with that particular family to try to schedule them to use our new washer and dryer when it is installed. In the meantime, we’ve working on getting her to a laundromat.”

Until now, Hernandez has found ways to help families who don’t have a working washing machine, by  providing clothing for their child. He has also given families money for their needs, including for laundry expenses. 

“We often make sure to change them out for the clothing they are wearing. They take both the clean clothes we’ve given them and their old clothes back home. Additionally, we reach out to the parents to find out the actual issue, such as why little Jose is coming to school in soiled clothing.”

“Sometimes we hear stories like, “We don’t have a washer and dryer right now,” or “We’re not getting the check, so finances are tight and we don’t have money for the laundromat,” or “Someone is sick and can’t get out of bed or the wheelchair to go to the laundromat around the corner to clean the clothes.” Sometimes I’ll visit a family and donate $20 or $30 so they can get at least a few loads of laundry done and dried, alleviating the problem for that week.”

Once the laundromat opens, it will be by appointment and managed through the Parent Center, which serves as the school’s community liaison center. An employee will oversee the process, Hernandez says.

“Currently, it’s completely free. We have enough detergent for several months and are conducting a recycling program at the school site. The funds generated from recycling will be used to purchase more detergent and support the Wellness Center’s resources for the washer and dryer.”

Cover image: LA Rams photo.