Helping Hands in Starkville is collecting box fans to distribute to those in need of some cool air this summer.
Many families and individuals in low-income housing do not have adequate insulation or access to proper cooling systems, and in the summer heat fans are in high demand.
The Starkville office got the idea from the Helping Hands in Columbus, which has organized fan drives each summer for the past nine years in partnership with United Way of Lowndes County.
“I just thought it was such a great idea,” Lauren Lang, the Outreach officer of the Helping Hands in Starkville, said. “It’s so hot in the summer and we get so many requests for fans.”
The Starkville office hopes to make their drive annual.
Twenty-inch box fans in new condition are preferred.
Anyone wishing to donate a fan can bring it to Helping Hands at 603 University Dr. Their office hours are 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Helping Hands will also have a booth at Starkville’s National Night Out August 4 and can accept donations then.
For applicants who wish to receive a fan should bring a valid ID and an electric bill in their name to Helping Hands’ office. Fans will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
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