Ameren Illinois is trying to help people in the area beat the heat this summer.
The utility Thursday donated 50 window air conditioners to the Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council office in Murphysboro.
Ameren volunteers loaded the units into vehicles for clients who need a break from the sweltering heat.
Ameren Illinois division director Ray Riddle says this helps many elderly residents who don't have access to cool air.
"If I think about my grandmother being in a 98-degree home, 102-degree home, without air conditioning, it hurts my heart to see it. That's what I see in these folks around here. The elderly folks who - our support will go a long way - and this is what this is about."
Riddle says, unfortunately, people will try to beat the heat with only a fan.
"This is our opportunity to say, 'Hey, don't torture yourself, turn the AC unit on.' We're here to help you and encourage them to do it."
Riddle says Ameren Illinois is providing 500 air conditioners this year in the 12-hundred communities it serves.
Ameren Illinois has donated over 25-hundred air conditioners since the program started in 2013.
