United Methodist Economic Ministry Wood Bank
Franklin County's first firewood bank is now open after a government shutdown delay, helping those in need stay warm and safe this winter.
People who qualify can buy firewood there at a lower price. The firewood bank also helps those waiting for heating assistance to begin.
A wood processor is cutting timber into hundreds of pieces of firewood.
The United Methodist Economic Ministry (UMEM) runs Franklin County's first wood bank.
"We have hauled in 300 cords of wood this winter and have that for the season," Jim Webster, UMEM's property manager, said. In honor of Webster's commitment to the project, the operation has been named the Webster Wood Bank.
The nonprofit also operates a food bank and thrift store that helps nearly 230 families. It donates heating oil and wood pellets. A $140,000 county government grant and donations from local Masonic lodges paid for logs, a wood processor, and a delivery truck.
UMEM partners with Western Maine Community Action, which provides heating vouchers through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). People who qualify can buy firewood at a lower price. So far, eight households in Franklin County have each received a cord and a half of firewood. Some families are still struggling to stay warm.
"People are burning wood in December, and we have clients actually out in the woods picking twigs, have their kids out there picking twigs, branches, anything they could burn," Webster explained.
"I believe we have a lot more families out there struggling for heat, I do," Helen Pinkham, the nonprofit's executive director, said.
Emilia Serban's husband died a year ago. She is disabled and lives on a fixed income. The government shutdown delayed her LIHEAP application for weeks, so her heating assistance will not start until February.
Serban received donated oil to heat part of her home, but she could not use her wood stove to warm her living room and bedroom until the wood bank stepped in to help, delivering a cord and a quarter of wood on Thursday.
"Having a wood stove and having wood for it is a big, big help," Serban enthused.
The first firewood bank will do more than provide heat for eligible households. Recipients may also qualify for up to $15,000 in home repairs to reduce heat loss.