SAN DIEGO — Soapy Joe’s hosts its annual Soapy Joe’s Day on Thursday, April 21, and is offering the entire San Diego community free carwashes and the chance to support three local charities, noted a press release.

A running tradition in its seventh year, the third Thursday of April has been dubbed Soapy Joe’s Day throughout San Diego, California, as proclaimed by sitting mayors starting in 2016 with Faulkner, to Gloria in 2021 and this year presented by Councilmember Raul A. Campillo. 

Each year, the carwash chain celebrates its eco-friendly practices, provides free top-of-the-line washes to the community and selects a local charity to receive a donation.

This year, Soapy Joe’s has selected three deserving groups and asks its customers where they want to see Soapy Joe’s invest in the shared community.

The participating charities, Helen Woodward Animal Center, Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) and the Emilio Nares Foundation, represent a range of interests and causes.

“Soapy Joe’s Day is something our team looks forward to each and every year,” said Lorens Attisha, founder and CEO of Soapy Joe’s. “We always say we love our communities, and this year, we want to directly reflect their preferences on where our charitable contributions are going. It’s a great way to give a voice to our members and those enjoying the free wash on Soapy Joe’s Day.”  

The family-owned carwash company has committed to a total donation of $15,000 in commemoration of Soapy Joe’s Day.

This donation will be split in three parts — the organization that gets the most community votes will receive $10,000, and the runners up will receive $2,500 each.

Building community is intrinsic to Soapy Joe’s, which has proudly supported San Diego over the past 11 years by donating more than 100,000 free washes and $2 million in cash donations to date.

This year, Soapy Joe’s has carefully selected a number of charities that support local children, the military community and animals — each close to the Soapy Joe’s team’s heart.

The three charities include the Emilio Nares Foundation, the non-profit that provides free transportation for low income children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases to get to and from their medical appointments; STEP (Support the Enlisted Project), to help build financial self-sufficiency among junior active duty enlisted members and recently discharged enlisted Veterans and their families facing financial crisis through counseling, education and grants; and the Helen Woodward Animal Center, local San Diego non-profit where “people help animals and animals help people.”

Soapy Joe’s Day is open to the San Diego community and is completely free of charge.

The free Magic Joe washes ($20 value) will begin at 7:00 a.m. and end at 9:00 p.m. on April 21. Attendees must sign up in advance of the event online to receive a barcode and cast their vote. The barcode can be redeemed at any of the 16 Soapy Joe’s locations on Thursday, April 21.

The winning charity will be announced on Friday, April 22nd.  

“We love being involved in our communities, and this is a great way to engage directly with our fans,” said Anne Mauler, VP of Marketing at Soapy Joe’s. “We anticipate a strong event for 2022 and hope to get as many people involved in our big day as possible.”