ST. LOUIS — Cool Down St. Louis kicked off its 17th annual summer campaign with a big donation from Ameren and lots of community support on Tuesday morning.
Ameren donated 850 air conditioning units and $200,000.
“It is all about neighbors helping neighbors," Gentry Trotter, Cool Down St. Louis said.
“It also shows how St. Louis can come together,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said. “It's one of the great things about our philanthropic efforts in our city."
The AC units will go towards physically disabled and elderly St. Louisans.
The financial donations help struggling St. Louis families pay higher bills because they are running their AC trying to stay cool, something leaders encourage.
"There's a lot of people that say a lot of bad things about St. Louis,” 5 On Your Side Chief Meteorologist Scott Connell said. “We are underrated in all of the good that goes on in this city and all the things that happen in this city and it's something we need to celebrate.”
Connell said a bottle of water can be life-saving during heat waves and encourages extra hydration when the temperatures hover around 100 degrees.
"It’s a hundred degrees in the shade, you can't get away from it," St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said.
His department installed 100 AC units last summer. He wants neighbors to check on neighbors, especially the elderly.
"If you haven't seen your neighbor in a while knock on their door, see if their air conditioner is running,” The chief said. “If not, check on them. See if they are OK. Touch them, feel their skin. Seniors don't really realize how they have gotten."