Austin Police Officers Deliver Donated AC Units To Those In Need

AUSTIN, TX — The time-honored charge for police officers is to "protect and serve." But in Austin, cops also ensure that needy people stay cool amid the triple-digit Central Texas heat.

For the past several days, members of the Austin Cops for Charities and Austin Police Association who are among the rank and file of the Austin Police Department officers have been delivering stand-alone air conditioners to residents throughout the city.

On Wednesday afternoon, officers delivered a free AC unit to the home of Joe Sanchez, a 93-year-old World War II veteran living in East Austin. In an email, police said Sanchez's old AC unit was no longer cooling his home properly. The smiling face of this member of the "greatest generation" in receiving his new air conditioning unit spoke volumes.

Officer Albino “Bino” Cadenas collected the air conditioning units at the Austin Police Association building located at 5817 Wilcab Road before delivering the equipment to several homes on Wednesday. The AC units were purchased with funds collected by Austin Cops for Charities, APD officials said.

First stop on Wednesday was the East Austin home of April Rivera at 11 a.m. Rivera takes care of her father who suffered a stroke five years ago and is bedridden as a result, police said. Her outdated window unit stopped cooling a while back, the APD added.

Next delivery was to the East Austin home where Diane Gonzalez.

Olivia Leal in South Austin got relief from the heat during the lunch hour as officers delivered her AC unit.

One woman benefiting from the police initiative had been living without air conditioning for two years, police said. "Her family has been struggling staying cool this hot summer," a tweet read. "We hope this new AC unit will bring her family the much needed comfort they deserve!"

Another beneficiary said his AC went out last Friday, and couldn't afford the $4,500 repair estimate to get the system fixed. "His family has been without AC for almost seven days!" police tweeted. "We all know one day/night without AC is unbearable in TX. We’re proud to have been able to help."

"The Austin Cops for Charities is living its motto in 'giving back to the community we serve,' and will work in partnership with the APD to continue donating additional air conditioning units to those residents in need," an APD spokesperson said. Those wishing to assist with the initiative or learn more about Austin Cops for Charities can visit the website at http://www.austinc4c.com or email Officer Cadenas at bino@austinpolice.com.

With more than a month of mostly triple-digit heat in the Austin region, the officers' deliveries aren't just charitable but potentially life-saving. Knowing so many of our financially disadvantaged neighbors now will be able to stay cool amid punishing summer heat truly warms our hearts.

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