ACE Hardware, The Salvation Army provide more than 270 free box fans this summer
By Joe Harris /
OMAHA, Neb.—With summer’s heat here, The Salvation Army of Omaha and Westlake ACE Hardware teamed up for the 14th consecutive year to help those in need beat the blazing temperatures.
On June 26, ACE took 270 donated box fans and gave them to The Salvation Army, which hands them out to people who need them most.
"This is up from 207 fans last year, so this is a tremendous help to our community here in Omaha," said Maj. Daniel Hull.
"We spent a few weeks collecting donations from our customers, from our associates,” said Westlake ACE Hardware store manager Brandon Erickson. “Some of the customers, they just donate the fans. Otherwise, at the registers...people can round up 10 cents, 90 cents. Every little bit goes a long ways."
Erickson praised ACE’s Omaha-area customers for their generosity, saying they raised $4,700 for the fans this year.
Maj. Hull said he expects the fans will go very quickly.
"These fans are going to be used for seniors and those that do not have air conditioning,” he said. “We'll be distributing them between now and the end of summer as supplies are available."
Hull said The Salvation Army is grateful for ACE Hardware customers coming through to help others.
Erickson highlighted ACE’s cooperation with The Salvation Army and the impact it has had.
"We've partnered with The Salvation Army in doing the fan drive for years now,” he said. “Nationwide, we've provided 78,000 fans over the years. We've partnered very well with them, they work great with us, and we're happy to continue doing it."
Anyone in Omaha needing a box fan can visit the Burrows Center at 6101 NW Radial Highway between 9 a.m. and noon, and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or they can call (402) 898-6090.