Pittsboro, NC – With many more hot days ahead of us before fall, the Chatham County Council on Aging needs help with obtaining box fans for its Heat Relief program for vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities.
“We are down to our last few,” noted Dennis Streets, director of the Council on Aging. “We were able to purchase 65 box fans, 20-inch size, with funds provided by Duke Energy Progress and individual donors. We have distributed nearly all of these, and they are making a big difference in helping people endure extreme summer heat.”
The Council on Aging participates in Operation Fan/Heat Relief, a program of the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services, but the program has no public funding. The program was established to help adults at risk stay safe in the summer heat.
Streets said that “as individuals age and develop chronic medical conditions, they are less likely to sense and respond to dangerous changes in temperature. They may also be taking medications that can worsen the impact of extreme heat.”
The Council’s summer newsletter highlights not only this program but also suggests other ways to help seniors “stay cool.” This includes tips for coping with extreme heat and an invitation to join the indoor activities at the Council’s two Senior Centers. You can find this information at www.chathamcoa.org.
To contribute a fan or provide funding to buy fans, visit or contact the Eastern Chatham Senior Center in Pittsboro at 919-542-4512 or the Western Chatham Senior Center in Siler City at 919-742-3975.