DELAWARE — Extreme heat can be an underrated weather threat, and Delaware County officials are trying to help residents stay cool before temperatures climb higher this summer.
The Delaware County Emergency Management team is partnering with People In Need, SourcePoint and all county libraries for this year’s Fans for Friends drive, which collects and distributes fans to residents who need help cooling their homes.
The goal is to collect 350 fans. Since this year’s drive kicked off on June 1, Fans for Friends has received 151 fans and donated 123 of them.
“When you think of bad or dangerous weather around here, oftentimes people think of the tornadoes or the floods, and both of them are dangerous, for sure,” Delaware County Emergency Management Director Alex McCarthy said.
“But across the United States, extreme heat leads to more weather-related injuries and fatalities than any other kind of weather event.”
While last week’s heat wave is less common, where temperatures routinely exceeded 90 degrees, McCarthy said Fans for Friends is important because it serves the more vulnerable residents across Delaware County.
McCarthy said Fans for Friends is for those who don’t have utilities, those who may have pre-existing health conditions, the elderly and those who live alone.
“The program got its start back in 2012 from our previous deputy director, who at the time was serving on the board with People in Need,” Delaware County Emergency Management Deputy Director Scott Stewart said.
“He had the idea after watching Franklin County have their program down there, and thought, ‘You know, we don’t have anything here in Delaware County to take care of our residents that are in need.'”
Stewart said since Delaware County Emergency Management got People in Need and all the other public safety entities on board, the program has been “impactful.”
How to get involved
Stewart said the program positively impacted about 244 families last year.
“So, the need is there, and partnering with People in Need is a great partnership because they are working with a lot of those families,” he said.
Folks can bring box fans to any fire station, EMS station or local library, as well as SourcePoint’s 800 Cheshire Road building.
“We make sure those fans get to People in Need, who then make the distributions during their supply distribution times throughout the week,” Stewart said.
The program also expanded this year to include a QR code that takes users to People in Need’s Amazon wish list for the program.
“Sometimes it’s not convenient for people to go out and buy a fan, or if someone is buying multiple, it’s not convenient for some to get them out of their car and take them to a drop-off location,” Stewart said.
The program is so successful that sometimes Fans for Friends has some fans left over.
“At the end of the program last year, there were some left over, which is great, because that helps us get a kick start,” Stewart said.
“The need is not always starting on June 1; we have hot days that sometimes occur in May or even in April. So it’s nice to have those fans available to get the program started off.”
Stewart said he is happy with how many folks have donated to the drive so far, and is confident Fans for Friends will get past the 350 goal before the September 15 end date.
“This program is not possible without the generosity of our residents here in Delaware County,” he said. “Every year, they do a great job of supporting this program and coming out in force, and we’re so appreciative of that.
“Recognizing that there are people who don’t have the luxuries that many of us have with an air conditioner — it’s a credit to the residents who support this program.”
