“Salvation army, how may I direct your call? Oh, any box fans?”
The Springfield Salvation Army’s phone lines were very busy on Thursday.
“Just since I’ve been back from lunch for about 10 minutes, I’ve taken 3 or 4 calls already. It’s crazy.”
As the heat index for the Ozarks rises to the mid-nineties, the Salvation Army is seeking donations of box fans to give to those without adequate air conditioning. But, so far, no luck.
“We haven’t had really any calls donating; it’s been all calls needing.”
That’s Jason Merrill, a volunteer working at the front desk.
“You sit inside your house, temps at 91 degrees, the heat index feels a little hotter than that, yeah. It’s a desperate need…people coming in asking, ‘well how do I get a box fan?’ Well, you have to wait,” says Merrill.
But for people like Linda Lou Lavender, waiting can be pretty difficult.
“I rent a room with no window, and I need a fan. It’s real hot,” says Lavender.
She says it’s especially hard at night, when she is trying to sleep.
“I just-- get down to the bare minimum, as they say.”
Lana Reed is Lavender’s daughter. She has air conditioning, however.
“Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t work, so I need a fan as a backup,” says Reed.
Her 9-year-old son has autism, and she says having a fan for his room is important.
Renee Christensen, the Salvation Army’s Emergency Social Services care manager, says cases like Lavender’s and Reed’s are common.
“A lot of people live without air conditioning or air conditioning is too expensive to run. The fans are important in helping, especially the elderly and those with very young children,” says Christensen.
And back at the front desk,
“Another call about a fan,”
Merrill has to tell yet another caller that there are still no fans to be distributed.
To donate a fan, the Salvation Army asks you to bring it to their main facility at 1707 West Chestnut Expressway in Springfield. According to a press release, the greatest need is for box fans, but any type of fan will be accepted.
For more information about making a donation, please contact Amanda Long at 417-862-5509 ext. 102.
