St. Vincent de Paul of Cincinnati will distribute fans to 100 families in need on Wednesday, June 17. The distribution is part of a summer-long initiative to provide relief from the heat to the sick, elderly and those with young children.
According to Kristen Klein, SVDP’s director of development, the recent heat has been particularly difficult for some.
“Many do not have air conditioning,” she says. “This goes beyond being simply sweaty and uncomfortable. Food in a pantry starts to spoil when left in hot, humid conditions. Sleep is difficult at best.”
SVDP is partnering with with
Huntington Bank,
Braun Heating & Air Conditioning and
Tedia to collect 700 fans and 400 air conditioning units, but they need your help.
“For families where every dollar is allocated, buying a fan or air conditioner would mean going without food for dinner or not having enough to pay the rent,” Klein says. “They can only hope that the heat wave doesn’t last too long. A $20 donation will buy an air conditioner for a family bringing a baby home from the hospital to a stuffy, second-floor apartment. A $100 donation will buy a window AC unit for a grandmother with COPD who struggles to breathe in the muggy air.”
Do Good:
• If you or a family you know is struggling to stay cool this summer, redeem a fan at 8:30 a.m. June 17 at the Liz Carter Outreach Center in the West End, 1125 Bank St. Fans will be distributed to the first 100 families in line. A photo ID is required, and there is a limit of one fan per household. If you can't make it that day,
contact SVDP for assistance.
• Make a financial gift by phone at 513-421-HOPE (4673),
online or at any Greater Cincinnati Huntington Bank location. $20 will provide a fan and $100 will provide an air conditioner. The
fan and air conditioner drive continues through Aug. 31.
• Donate a new fan or air conditioner at St. Vincent de Paul’s Liz Carter Outreach Center or any one of the seven
Thrift Stores.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.