As temperatures rise, fans are still needed!

As it is only mid-July and we have many more weeks of summer ahead of us, we are still looking for more electric fans for our clients! The entire region is suffering as temperatures continue to hover in the 80’s, 90’s, and above, but our clients, all of whom are low-income DC residents, have fewer options than most when it comes to escaping the heat. While we have all survived the first heat waves of the season, many of our clients have done so without the luxury of air conditioning. We have received several very generous fan donations, but the need for fans still outnumbers our current stock. If you haven’t already, please take a look around your home and bring in any unused and unwanted fans! We’ve begun to receive phone calls from clients inquiring about getting a free fan from Bread for the City, and we know the demand will only grow as the summer continues. As one client at the food pantry said this week, "It would help me so much if you could get me a fan. I don't care if it's broke, I'll fix it. With this heat, I need all the help I can get!"

Many of our clients are elderly, live in households with small children, or are on disability for chronic medical conditions, all of which are factors which make them and their families much more vulnerable to health complications during conditions such as these. It’s not only the degrees Fahrenheit: humidity, smog, and general poor air quality due to the high temperature all contribute to creating an unhealthy and uncomfortable environment for our clients who cannot afford AC. An electric fan might not seem like much of a contribution when compared to the power of the summer sun, but a cool breeze on a hot day can make a huge difference in someone’s quality of life.

Fan donations can be dropped off Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm at BFC’s Northwest Center, located at 1525 Seventh Street, NW. Questions? Please contact Kristen Kozlowski at 202-386-7612 or kkozlowski@breadforthecity.org.