INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Wednesday morning, the Salvation Army will hand out free fans until supplies last.
The event goes until 10 a.m. or when fans run out at Westlake Ace Hardware in Independence, 414 E. 24 Highway.
Salvation Army and Westlake have 750 Lasko box fans to give away. The two entities have been teaming up for decades.
“In the month of June, all of our 31 stores in the Kansas City area, they asked our customers to round up our purchases up to the next dollar, and it is pretty cool to be able to raise over $11,000 and give away close to 1,000 fans,” said Jeremy van Ommeren, corporate vice president of stores for Westlake.
Maj. Xavier Montenegro, with the Salvation Army, said they have seen an increase in people needing help staying cool this summer.
“We've seen the demand really increase again. Bills are high, and people are having to choose how much to pay for food, what are the utilities they need to pay for,” Montenegro said. “We know the heat can be really brutal in Kansas City, and it's just consistent. The cost of keeping your air on or in the summer is expensive, so to have a fan to keep people cool is a really big deal.”
Montenegro said if you cannot attend the fan giveaway, you can get a free fan at any of the Salvation Army's Kansas City-area locations. However, supplies are limited.
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KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
