In heat wave, free air conditioners a blessing from Catholic Charities

The air conditioner could not have been installed at a better time. This morning the Catholic Charities of Onondaga County installed a free air conditioner in the apartment of Gayle Davis. Since the heat wave started, her Syracuse apartment has been a steady 90 degrees or more, Davis said. “It was like, thank you Lord,” said Davis, who is disabled....

The air conditioner could not have been installed at a better time.

This morning the Catholic Charities of Onondaga County installed a free air conditioner in the apartment of Gayle Davis. Since the heat wave started, her Syracuse apartment has been a steady 90 degrees or more, Davis said.

“It was like, thank you Lord,” said Davis, who is disabled. “Finally, I will be able to breathe good again.”

View full sizeJohn Berry / The Post-StandardMike Cases-Vinal of Catholic Charities installs an air conditioner in the Syracuse apartment of Gayle Davis. The organization is giving away free air conditioners to low-income families who are eligible for federal HEAP assistance.

The air conditioner is a part of a program started last summer by the charities. They will give away about 75 air conditioners this summer to low-income families who are eligible for federal HEAP assistance and have a note from a doctor, said Eleanor Carr, director of elderly services for the charities.

“We try to prioritize for those with the greatest health needs,” Carr said. “Those who are homebound, frail, not able to get out.”

Mike Cases-Vinal, of Liverpool, installed the unit in Davis’ apartment. He works with Project Fix, a charities program that helps with “house maintenance ... small things that need to be done that elderly people might not need to call a contractor for,” Cases-Vinal said.

“It’s nice, especially when you can tell that somebody really can’t afford to go out and spend the money,” he said. “And, honestly, there’s not a lot of them (air conditioners) left around in the stores. Even if they could, it is difficult to get around and find one.”

Fernando Alfonso III can be reached at falfonso@syracuse.com or 470- 6078 .