Summer may not technically start for another two weeks but people in West Texas have already suffered through triple digit temperatures in the last few weeks.
That might make this summer’s annual Fan Drive between the Salvation Army and Westlake Ace Hardware more crucial.
For the last 10 years, Westlake Ace and the Salvation Army have partnered up to help provide fans for families in need.
The Fan Drive takes place at 127 Westlake Ace stores nationwide including the Odessa location at 4652 E. University Blvd.
This year’s drive started last week and will continue through June 19.
During the campaign, customers at participating Westlake Ace stores are asked to round up their purchases or donate any amount of their choice.
Since starting the Fan Drive in Odessa, more than $11,400 has been raised, which equates to more than 700 fans given to people in need.
“Ten years, I don’t know if that means the heat keeps going up,” Odessa Salvation Army Major Luis Melendez said. “I’m not the weather guy or anything like that. But it sure seems like every year, the summers are hotter. I arrived here last year and haven’t seen rain for like 10 months. What I’ve seen is an increase in heat. Triple digits are scary numbers. Nobody needs to be out in the heat that way. We’re a cooling station but we also have fans.”
Wednesday’s high for Odessa was around 103 degrees. The high for Thursday is expected to be 98 degrees while Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all expecting triple digit temperatures.
Melendez wants people to also know that the Salvation Army in Odessa is always a cooling station.
“If anybody is in the vicinity can walk in and say they’re here for a cooling station, they’ll get 30 minutes,” Melendez said. “We’ll give you some water and rest and then you can be on your way.”
Donations also stay in the community.
“All of it stays locally,” Assistant Manager at Westlake Ace in Odessa Jacob Rizzo said. “It doesn’t go outside of town. All donations stay here in town and they help local families.”
After the drive, people that are in need of a fan that can’t afford one can then stop by the Salvation Army with their IDs and proof that they live in Ector County.
“Swing by the Salvation Army and share your story, let us know you’re from Ector County and bring your ID and say ‘I need a fan,’” Melendez said. “It’s that simple. We want to give them out this year. We don’t want to have to save 10 or 50 of them. We want to give them out. Thanks to the donors who have helped out. We’re pleased to be a part of this. This is one of the ways we express the love beyond the heat of the summer by providing the resource of these fans so nobody can go sweaty and hot and messy. We have triple digits out there.”
Last year, Melendez said about 202 fans were given out of the 300 total.
“There was a small surplus but that’s ok,” Melendez said. “My shout out to the community is that there’s no need to be without air circulation in your home.”
The partnership between the Salvation Army and Westlake Ace originally started at one store in Hutchinson, Kan. Since then, it’s blossomed, with new participants every year.
“It started out with just one store to see how it will kick off and within the last 10 years, we’ve added 127 Westlake stores and we have 150 stores nationwide,” Rizo said. “We’re almost completely full on partnerships with the Salvation Army and all the Westlake stores.”
Rizo says one reason for the Fan Drive’s increase has been because of its benefit to the local community.
“When you mention that it stays within the community and that it is helping local community members, it motivates more people to help out,” Rizo said. “One of our core values is service. That’s what we like to do, service our communities.”
Melendez has been thankful for the partnership between Westlake Ace and the Salvation Army.
“The partnership means a whole great deal for the Salvation Army,” Melendez said. “We can’t provide a lot of the basic needs for our community without the help of Ace so we’re glad that we have them in place to help us provide this need and that they’re doing it yearly. Ace can’t do it without the community themselves like each individual.”
People who want to help donate online can do so at tinyurl.com/4nt6beyb.
CAMP
The Odessa Salvation Army is also providing the opportunity to send children to the Salvation Army’s Camp Hoblitzelle in Midlothian over the summer.
The campaign is a part of the Salvation Army’s Love Beyond and the requirement is that the child has to be a part of one of the Salvation Army’s programs.
“One thing to clarify is one of the conditions is that the child has to be a part of our programs,” Melendez said. “We have several programs. We have taekwondo, those kids are all eligible and if their parents want to send them to a Salvation Army camp, then the money is there.”
That’s one of the numerous benefits of being in the Salvation Amy’s programs, Melendez said.
“We’re spreading the word out for people to be with it,” Melendez said. “One of the benefits of being in our program is being able to go to camps.”
Programs at the Salvation Army of Odessa include vacation bible school and Wednesday night Character Building.
“It’s like bible studies that some churches have on Wednesday nights but we just call it Character Building,” Melendez said. “Then we have Sunday schools at 10 a.m.”
Camp Hoblitzelle is located about an hour south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
“It has horse-back riding and archery and basketball and swimming and art and all sorts of outdoor and indoor games,” Melendez said. “It’s a good time for kids to meet other kids from the state of Texas and gather together. All of them are children that participate in some way at the Salvation Army and are low-income where their parents can’t afford to send them to a big camp then that’s where that money comes from. It comes from Love Beyond.”
The Love Beyond campaign has helped children in the area and the Salvation Army of Odessa wants them to know what programs are offered.
“The Love Beyond campaign is that we appreciate the kids in our community and we want them to be a part of what we offer,” Melendez said. “As part of coming to Sunday schools or meeting mid-weeks on Wednesday night, even VBS, that enrolls kids for the opportunity if they want to attend summer camp, the parents let us know and we let them go because we have collected money for that because donors have contributed for that. That’s where our service of love goes beyond and we can take the kids and let them enjoy a fun time at our camp in Midlothian.”
People who want to help donate can do so at the Salvation Army’s website at tinyurl.com/munc3hen.
