Can you spare a fan?
Fan Fund Provides Relief to Area Residents

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – EPB brought back its Power Share Fan Fund program for the seventh consecutive year to help customers throughout the community beat the summer heat.  In partnership with local Ace Hardware stores and United Way of Greater Chattanooga, EPB is collecting monetary donations from customers for the purchase of fans and will distribute fans to those in need on July 23 and July 30. 

If you need a fan in your home or know someone who does, EPB encourages you to contact United Way’s 2-1-1 Resource Center by dialing 211, (423) 265-8000, or toll free at 1(866) 921-3035 to apply for a free fan.

“The summer can be a dangerous time for those people in our community who do not have central air,” says EPB’s Karen Thomas, Senior Manager of Customer Service. “In an effort to make the summer safer and more comfortable for our neighbors in need, we have once again teamed up with our customers, Ace Hardware and United Way. We had great success with this project last year and look forward to the difference we can make this summer.”

One-hundred recipients have already been identified to receive fans on July 23. United Way's 2-1-1 is in the process of collecting and screening the next 100 recipients for July 30. According to staff at United Way’s 2-1-1, any excess request for fans will be coordinated and referred to the Salvation Army based on available capacity.

Collection cans have been placed at each cash register at all Chattanooga Ace Hardware locations, and EPB has been collecting monetary donations at the Chattanooga Market during the months of June and July. The last chance to drop off monetary donations at the Chattanooga Market will be on Sunday, July 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monetary donations can also be made at any of these three EPB office locations:
•    Downtown - 10 West M.L. King Blvd.
•    Brainerd - 5830 Brainerd Road
•    Hixson - 2124 Northpoint Blvd.

United Way and the EPB also partner on EPB’s Power Share program, which allows customers to make financial donations through their electric bill that will help those in need pay their utility bills. According to United Way’s 2-1-1, there haven’t yet been a large number of requests for assistance with high electric bills due to increased use of air conditioning, but they expect that to change drastically by the end of July, when utility bills for the past few weeks of the heatwave begin to arrive at homes. If you want to donate to the EPB Power Share Fund go online at www.epb.net/about/community/power-share.

For more information or questions on how to help, call EPB at (423) 648-1EPB (1372) or call United Way’s 2-1-1 Resource Center at 211 or (423) 265-8000. You can also go online at www.LiveUnitedChattanooga.org for 2-1-1 assistance.