Volunteers chop firewood for ElderHelp of North Idaho to deliver to seniors
HAILEY HILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 months, 1 week AGO
Caleb Brewer splits wood for Saturday's project with ElderHelp, which delivers firewood to seniors in need.
HAILEY HILL/Press
A volunteer uses a chainsaw to split logs for firewood Saturday.
Three young men use a log splitter during Saturday's project with ElderHelp.
Volunteer stack firewood into trucks Saturday, which will be delivered to area seniors in need.
HAYDEN — Cutting, stacking, and transporting over 60 cords of firewood is no easy task.
But around 100 volunteers were up to the challenge Saturday.
Several organizations came together for the benefit of ElderHelp of North Idaho, an organization that delivers firewood to seniors and families that rely on wood heat in the winter in Kootenai County.
The work was also part of a National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of those lost during 9/11. This particular project has taken place on the National Day of Service since 2018.
Sixteen congregations from the Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Lake stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints volunteered their time in addition to equipment, including log splitters, chain saws and trucks.
“This is really wonderful,” said Ryan Johnson, president of the Coeur d’Alene stake. “It’s a great opportunity to come together.”
Though the project had taken place at the ElderHelp wood yard in Hayden in past years, operations relocated to donated land off East Dodd Road due to zoning issues.
But that was no issue for the volunteers.
“I underestimated how much we’d be doing here,” said volunteer Charles Rieben.
ElderHelp will distribute around 250 cords of wood, according to program director Vern Newby.
For organizer and volunteer Julienne Dance, the day was an opportunity to connect and give back to her community.
“It takes all of us to help each other thrive in life,” Dance said. “I’d love for one of the recipients to think, ‘Somebody’s thinking of me.’”
A volunteer uses a chainsaw to split logs for firewood Saturday.
Three young men use a log splitter during Saturday's project with ElderHelp.
Volunteer stack firewood into trucks Saturday, which will be delivered to area seniors in need.ARTICLES BY HAILEY HILL
Hayden chamber marks 25 years
Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn named Business of the Year
When Andrea Fulks talks about growing the Hayden Chamber of Commerce’s membership, she makes a point to avoid certain words. “I never say you should ‘join,’” the chamber president and CEO said. “I say that you belong in this family.”
NIBCA celebrates leadership, growth
NIBCA celebrates leadership, growth
The first time Jessica Cargile attended a North Idaho Building Contractors Association meeting, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. That feeling returned for only a moment before she was sworn in as NIBCA’s president for 2026.
Coeur d'Alene chamber grows to nearly 1,000 members as it continues to evolve
Coeur d'Alene chamber grows to nearly 1,000 members as it continues to evolve
A sepia-toned photograph of about 30 businessmen hangs in the office of Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber’s President and CEO, Linda Coppess. Though dressed in the fashion of decades past, the men gathered for a purpose that has endured: uplifting area businesses through the Chamber. The photo is a reminder of the Chamber’s 114 years of history, Coppess said in her address to nearly 200 attendees at Tuesday morning’s Breakfast Connect event.