By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A local business is partnering with the Salvation Army to provide box fans to people who don't have or may not be able to afford air conditioning.
Westlake Hardware in St. Joseph has held a Box Fan drive for the last nine years, providing hundreds of fans a year to people in need.
General Manager of the St. Joseph Westlake Hardware Greg Eagleburger says Westlake is solely the facilitator of the drive and all contributions come from the community.
"We do a roundup at our checkouts, ask our customers if they'd like to round up to the nearest dollar when they make a purchase, so they're the ones that are actually contributing," Eagleburger tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "We take those funds and then corporately they buy as many fans as they can."
Eagleburger says Westlake as a company focuses on giving back to the communities they're located in and this is one of many drives it does.
Eagleburger says fans that are donated can be useful for people who might not be able to afford air conditioning.
"Many times, a fan properly placed, moving some air, can help them with their cooling situation," Eagleburger explains. "We take that for granted but not everybody has air conditioning still, and/or if you have one maybe you can't afford to turn it on and run it."
The Fan Drive is running through this Sunday at Westlake Hardware in St. Joseph.