FRANKLIN, Ind. — With the intense heat this week, experts say it is extremely important to stay cool, which can be a struggle for some.
To help, Interchurch Food Pantry of Johnson County is giving away free fans to the community. It is part of a $1,000 grant they received from Duke Energy earlier this summer.
“We have a lot of box fans, and as families come through, we can tell they have a need, and we are able to offer a fan to them,” said Carol Phipps, the executive director of Interchurch Food Pantry of Johnson County.
The pantry received 40 fans this summer, and about half are already gone.
“It makes the families very happy when they are able to get one. Can you imagine being at home and not having A/C or not having fans in this temperature?” Phipps said.
For those that received one, they said it is a huge relief.
“It’s God’s blessing that they are doing this because there are a lot of people out here that are struggling right now with money,” said one woman who came to pick up a fan for a client.
“We live in a trailer, so it’s like an oven. It’s really hot all the time,” another Johnson County resident said.
Several volunteers also checked in with families as they waited for their food.
“I basically was asking if they are surviving the heat OK and if they have air conditioning, if it is working, if they need help,” said Suzanne Bachman, one of the volunteers.
In just a few hours, she found nearly a dozen people in need of a fan.
“One or two people cried, the others just clapped their hands and said, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' They are very grateful,” Bachman said.
Phipps said the pantry only has a small number of fans left. There are 15 other organizations that received a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation this summer that may have more left:
- Area IV Agency on Aging and Community Action Programs – $8,000
- Good Samaritan Network – $5,000
- Heart of Indiana United Way – $2,500
- Henry County Community Foundation – $2,500
- Hoosier Uplands Economic Development Corporation – $5,000
- Interchurch Food Pantry of Johnson County – $1,000
- Johnson County Senior Services – $5,000
- Ohio Valley Opportunities – $20,000
- Salvation Army, Princeton – $5,000
- Salvation Army, Shelbyville – $5,000
- South Central Community Action Program – $5,000
- United Way of Knox County – $5,000
- United Way Serving Howard and Tipton Counties – $10,000
- United Way of the Wabash Valley – $10,000
- Western Indiana Community Action Agency – $2,000
The Interchurch food pantry was started 40 years ago and now serves about 34,000 families, as of last year. It is open five days a week and a couple of Saturdays a month. Volunteers usually see about 140 cars a day.
They are currently looking for donations and volunteers. To receive a pantry card, you just need proof of residency in Johnson County.