When chatting with a homeless man named Bill, Press Cleaner's co-founder Ryan Harmon learned that one of the most coveted items among the Austin homeless population is "freshies."
That's the term on the streets for clean socks.
Unlike t-shirts and jeans, which people can wear multiple days in a row, Bill told Harmon that dirty socks become unbearable after day one.
Without hesitation, Harmon remembered all of his abandoned, mismatched socks that he had let pile up over years in his sock drawer.
"This is a no-brainer," Harmon said.
That's why Press Cleaner, a weekly, subscription-based dry cleaning and laundry delivery service, is partnering with the Salvation Army for its Socks for Souls program.
"I love this city," said Harmon. "I've been here for 10 years, but the Salvation Army is tough to get to. We want to make it easier for people to donate. These people deserve clean socks."
Press Cleaners is giving their 500 customers — which is more than double the amount they had the last time we caught up with them — the opportunity to leave donations of socks and gently worn clothes out during their scheduled weekly pickups.
"All of our customers have Press-branded bags," said Harmon. "They'll put their donations in a non-descript bag. Then, we’ll take both bags, pay to have the donations washed, and deliver them to the Salvation Army so they are fresh and clean."
In addition to receiving dry cleaned items, Press Cleaners will also provide users with donation receipts for tax purposes during clothing drop off.
The partnership comes alongside some aggressive scaling plans: Harmon said the company plans to head to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio by the end of the year.
"We're really excited about the future and are going to continue to partner with Salvation Army," said Harmon. "If you put good out there, you're typically going to get good back."
Image provided by Press.
Know a company we should cover? Send us a tip or tweet us@BuiltInAustin
