Poteau • Heavener • LeFlore County
Where Can I Get a Donated Heater or Heating Help in Poteau?
Short answer: call the Salvation Army in Heavener at (918) 653-4815 and ask about a heater, and dial 211 to hear who is giving out heaters or opening a warming shelter this week. KiBois Community Action at 219 Kerr Avenue in Poteau, (918) 647-3267, offers one-time emergency utility help, and Oklahoma Human Services takes life-threatening energy crisis calls during extreme cold at (405) 522-5050.
Heater and heating help in Poteau
The short answer
Start by calling the Salvation Army in Heavener, 106 Gretna, (918) 653-4815. Arkansas Oklahoma Gas lists it as a LeFlore County place to ask for help with heat and utilities, and Salvation Army units often hand out donated space heaters and blankets in cold snaps, so ask if they have any heaters right now.
Then dial 211, or text your zip code to 877-836-2111. It is free and open 24 hours, and it is the quickest way to find out which churches and groups around Poteau are giving out heaters, blankets or a warm place to sleep this week.
If the cold is putting someone in danger, Oklahoma Human Services takes life-threatening energy crisis requests all year, including during extreme temperatures. Call (405) 522-5050 and choose the energy assistance options.
- Salvation Army: 106 Gretna, Heavener · (918) 653-4815
- Any hour: Dial 211 or text your zip code to 877-836-2111
- KiBois Community Action: 219 Kerr Ave, Poteau · (918) 647-3267 · apply in person, weekdays 8 AM to 4:30 PM
- Energy crisis line: (405) 522-5050, choose energy assistance
- LIHEAP winter heating: opens Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026 at OKDHSLive.org
- DHS in Poteau: 511 S Harper St · (918) 649-2300
🔥 A heater now
Where to ask for a donated heater
The Salvation Army in Heavener, 106 Gretna, (918) 653-4815, is the first call. Salvation Army units around Arkansas and Oklahoma collect donated space heaters and blankets each winter and pass them out to families without heat, so call and ask what they have this week.
Dial 211 next. Churches and community groups around Poteau sometimes give out heaters and blankets when a cold front comes in, and 211 keeps track of who is helping right now. When you call, say you are in a camper with no heat so they can point you to the right place.
🏠 Somewhere warm
A warm place to go in the meantime
Last winter, in December 2025, the Poteau Daily News reported that 911 Emergency Community Outreach at 911 Dewey Avenue in Poteau opened its warming shelter for anyone without heat, with separate spaces for women and men. Ask 211 whether it is open on the night you need it.
During the day, the Patrick Lynch Public Library at 206 S McKenna Street, (918) 647-4444, is open Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM. It is a warm place to sit, and its public computers and free Wi-Fi are handy for applying for help online.
🏠 Warm place by day, computers and free Wi-Fi · Poteau💡 Paying for heat
Help with propane, gas and electric bills
KiBois Community Action, 219 Kerr Avenue in Poteau, (918) 647-3267, offers yearly one-time emergency utility help to families in a money crisis, paid straight to the utility company. It is emergency help only and depends on funding. Apply in person on weekdays between 8 AM and 4:30 PM, and call first to ask what papers to bring. It also runs a food pantry at the same address.
Oklahoma Human Services opens LIHEAP winter heating help on Tuesday, December 15, 2026, at OKDHSLive.org. It helps with your main heating source, and it stays open until the money runs out, so apply early. You can also go to the LeFlore County DHS office at 511 S Harper St in Poteau, (918) 649-2300. Choctaw tribal members can apply through Choctaw Nation LIHEAP at (800) 522-6170 instead, but not both in the same season.
⚠️ Stay safe
Heating a camper safely
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to keep a space heater at least 3 feet from bedding, curtains, furniture and anything else that can burn, and to plug an electric heater straight into a wall outlet, never an extension cord or power strip.
Campers are small and tight, so a working smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm matter even more. Never use a grill, camp stove, oven or generator inside for heat, and turn heaters off when you leave or go to sleep unless the heater is made for that.
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📅 This week & coming up
Coming up around Poteau
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💡 Before you go
Tips when you call for help
Say it is a camper
Tell them you have no heat in a camper so they know it is urgent.
Call early in the day
Donated heaters and shelter spots go fast when a cold front comes in.
Bring your papers
Photo ID and proof of income open the door to most help.
Mark Dec. 15
LIHEAP winter heating opens that day and closes when money runs out.
Get a CO alarm
Any heater in a small space is safer with a carbon monoxide alarm.
❓ Good to know
Common questions
Where can I get a donated heater in Poteau?
Call the Salvation Army in Heavener at (918) 653-4815 and ask if it has heaters, and dial 211 to hear which churches and groups are giving out heaters this week.
Who helps with heat in LeFlore County?
The Salvation Army in Heavener, KiBois Community Action in Poteau, 211, and LIHEAP through Oklahoma Human Services, which opens winter heating help on December 15, 2026.
Is there a warming shelter in Poteau?
Last winter 911 Emergency Community Outreach at 911 Dewey Avenue opened a warming shelter for anyone without heat. Ask 211 if it is open the night you need it.
What if the cold is an emergency?
Oklahoma Human Services takes life-threatening energy crisis requests all year, including in extreme temperatures, at (405) 522-5050. If someone is in danger, call 911.
How do I use a space heater safely in a camper?
Keep it 3 feet from anything that can burn, plug it straight into the wall, have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and never heat with a grill, stove or generator inside.
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