Westlake’s Fan Drive heats up for summer relief

The Salvation Army and Westlake Ace Hardware are teaming up to help provide relief from the summer heat to local communities. Westlake is hosting a fan drive at 96 locations.

Summer heat can be very dangerous for the elderly, those without air conditioning or with medical conditions. From June 22 to July 9, Westlake will host the fan drive by asking customers to donate to The Salvation Army at the register. For a $5 donation, one “fan blade” can be given, $10 provides two blades, $15 for three blades, or $20 for the “entire fan.”

“The fan drive started as a local community event several years ago in Hutchinson, Kan., and has since evolved to be one of our biggest chain-wide community service projects,” explained Joe Jeffries, COO of Westlake Ace Hardware. “It’s a great way for us to give back to the communities where we do business. All of the money donated is given back to the local Salvation Army in the form of fans.”

In 2016, Westlake customers donated more than $68,000, equating to more than 4,500 fans donated to The Salvation Army. Westlake will kick off the fan drive with a donation of 500 fans to The Salvation Army.

“Unfortunately, there is always a great need for fans and because many of Westlake locations are centrally located, residents in those communities often suffer from severe summer heat,” said Jeff Curnow, Community Relations Manager for The Salvation Army USA Central Territory. “Because of this partnership, we will be able to provide relief to many needy families.”