A volunteer hands out water to people at a Salvation Army heat relief center. The weekend of Aug. 1-2, when the National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings. The Salvation Army added services to a county heat-relief set of services already in place daily.
Eight of Maricopa County’s 608 heat-related deaths in 2024 happened in Chandler.
City staff and the Salvation Army are doing their best to minimize or eliminate that from happening this summer.
After the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1-2, the Salvation Army announced it would opening its 10 heat relief stations throughout the Valley — where anyone can go for indoor cooling and hydration.
Riann Balch, the city of Chandler’s community resources senior manager, reported various statistics at a late-June council study session, showing how many people had been served by city services in just the first 51 official days of Chandler’s wing of county heat-relief programming.
“The people served are typically low-income, are often unhoused, or are otherwise unable to get out of the heat,” Balch said.
To serve those in need now and during the remaining hot summer days, The Salvation Army, said in a news release, it needs cases of 16.9-ounce bottled water.
“During Extreme Heat Warnings, The Salvation Army goes through nearly a pallet of water a day, so it goes fast,” said Jeannette Aird, The Salvation Army Phoenix city administrator, said in the release. “We’re asking individuals, companies and organizations for any help they can provide.”
The easiest and best way to help is with a monetary donation to SalvationArmyPhoenix.org companies and organizations interested in making bulk donations of water can connect with The Salvation Army.
Arizonans can also text “HEAT” to 51555 to get donation information, the release stated.
Anyone can donate cases of water to the local Salvation Army, such as the location at 85 E. Saragosa St. in downtown Chandler, and online at SalvationArmyPhoenix.org.
Since May 1, The Salvation Army has provided heat relief to about 35,000 people in Arizona and given out more than 95,000 bottles of water to Arizonans in need.
While Chandler’s cooperation with Maricopa County on its program has sites at libraries and the senior center set up every day through September, the Salvation Army’s program is only open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on days the National Weather Service has issued or extended an extreme heat warning, May through September. Its schedule includes weekends, but excludes holidays, such as Labor Day.
The Salvation Army’s downtown Chandler site is networked with similar services offered in Apache Junction, Avondale, Surprise, Glendale, Mesa, downtown Phoenix, Maryvale and two other Phoenix locations.
A mobile hydration unit will be dispatched each day of the warnings to parts of the Valley identified as areas with high numbers of people experiencing homelessness, the release stated.
The Salvation Army also encourages people to check on neighbors at risk of dehydration or heat-related health issues, such as those without adequate air conditioning or those on fixed incomes who might not run their air conditioning because they need to buy food or medicine.
The Salvation Army is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Heat Relief Regional Network, the goal of which is to provide resources to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths within vulnerable populations, the release states.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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