Current and former Dallas Cowboys joined the Salvation Army and volunteers from Reliant Energy's "Reliant Gives" program to hand out food and free air conditioners to low-income North Texans on Thursday. When the giveaway started, a line of cars stretched several blocks around the Salvation Army's office in Dallas.
"Walking into this, I didn't know how many people would be coming by, but this line is long," said Cowboys fullback Nick Ralston. "I've never been in these people's situation, but I feel for them. That's why I came out today to serve them."
"I think this is fabulous just having the opportunity to come out and serve again," said retired safety George Teague. "The heat we're having here in Texas right now is unbelievable. A lot of people aren't as fortunate to just be able to sit and relax in a cool home, and they're worrying about food at the same time."
Volunteers from Reliant Energy were also delivering food and fans to cars. The company's "Beat the Heat" program works with the Salvation Army to operate ten cooling centers in North Texas, and Reliant has two others. The company also has cooling centers in Houston and Corpus Christi.
"We know it's very hot this summer, so we've increased the centers in all of our cities so we can make sure there are options for seniors and other vulnerable residents to be able to stay cool," said Leanne Schneider, director of community relations at Reliant. "We want people to be able to stay safe."
Schneider said Reliant has financial assistance options for people who cannot afford increased bills because of higher temperatures this summer.
"We want people to be safe whether it's warm or cold, we don't want people to worry about, 'How am I going to pay my bill?' That could be unsafe if they turn off their a/c right now. That's not a safe choice," Schneider said.
People can get more information by calling 211 or visiting their website.
The Salvation Army said demand has remained high as a result of rising gas prices and inflation.
"We do not expect that to go down anytime soon," said Maj. Paul McFarland. "We're all faced with the cost of inflation and how that's impacting us."
McFarland said the Cowboys have increased donations as the non-profit deals with higher temperatures. He said the need has increased for cooling stations and fans, while the ongoing heat and inflation have also led to a greater need for donations and volunteers.
"Inflation has an impact on us," McFarland said. "Our utility bills, our food costs, our gasoline are also impacted by inflation."
People can make donations or learn how to volunteer here.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD