The kindness of an anonymous donor will help cool the Salvation Army headquarters in Greenwood.
A Sunday article in the Commonwealth about the charity’s need for air conditioning received a tremendous response from the community, said Mark Jones, divisional public relations officer for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Someone agreed to fix the existing air conditioner to make it work more efficiently and is planning to install a new unit today. Jones estimated the cost of the new unit would have been about $7,000.
“We got a lot of calls on Sunday, and people were leaving messages asking how they could help,” Jones said. “It’s a blessing, and we are so happy that Greenwood was so quick to help.”
Jones said he didn’t expect people to react so quickly. He said the donor saw a way to help and was willing to do so.
The inside temperature was expected to return to controllable levels by the end of the business day today, Jones said.
“It’s a place where a lot of people could come for refuge from the heat,” he said. “This will also make it comfortable to shop here again.”
The Salvation Army in Greenwood is housed in a 12,500-square-foot warehouse-style metal building with no drop ceilings. Jones said the building was not very efficient and was warmed quickly by the sun.
The relief was needed. According to the National Weather Service, high temperatures are expected to reach 95 every day into next week. Heat index values are expected to get as high as 104.
Customers had claimed that it had become nearly unbearable to enter the store when the air conditioner broke down last week. Employees and volunteers of the Salvation Army were monitored closely for signs of heat illness and provided with bottled water.
Jones said he hopes the people of Greenwood will continue giving to the Salvation Army. He said donations, clothing and furniture are still needed. The Salvation Army sells those items in order to fund programs for utility assistance, disaster relief and other charitable efforts.
• Contact Taylor Kuykendall at tkuykendall@gwcommonwealth.com.
