North Idaho partners help heat homes
BOB KIRKPATRICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 weeks AGO
Vern Newby, with ElderHelp, cuts logs into lengths for firewood.
BOB KIRKPATRICK\Press
Micah Bracken with a log round to be cut into firewood.
Andrew Applehann removes the bark from a piece of firewood.
Close to 200 cords of wood will be split from the logs delivered to the ElderHelp site in Rathdrum.
Fallen trees from the mid-December windstorm will soon help seniors and others heat their homes.
Crews from Coeur d’Alene's Streets and Engineering and Parks and Recreation departments gathered the lumber and other debris, and with the help of Western States CAT and Terra Underground, loaded and transported logs up to 30 inches in diameter to ElderHelp of North Idaho in Rathdrum in late January to be cut into firewood.
“We received close to 200 cords,” said Vern Newby, the nonprofit's wood program director. “We’re beginning the process of cutting it into firewood and will deliver loads today.”
Newby said ElderHelp’s mission is to help low-income seniors remain in their homes by providing them with firewood and other services.
“If you are in need, we want to help,” he said.
Newby has been with ElderHelp since 2012. He said many of the people who receive firewood have lived in rural North Idaho for decades.
“When these folks were younger, they wanted to live off the land and heat their homes with wood stoves,” Newby said. “Forty years later, they can’t chop their own wood, but don’t want to leave their homes. That’s where we come in. The longer they can stay there — the happier they will be.”
Others in need of ElderHelp's services come through referrals from United Way, churches and social agencies.
He mentioned Birds of Prey Northwest in St. Maries has been a good source of wood for ElderHelp over the years.
Newby said he enjoys lending a hand to those in need.
“It’s a good feeling when you can help others,” he said. “Doing this benefits me as well — helps me to stay fit in the winter.”
ElderHelp has a need of its own: one of the trucks it uses to deliver wood is out of commission and no longer cost-effective to keep on the road.
“We need a 1-ton four-wheel drive truck with a hitch for hauling wood,” Newby said.
Call 208-929-1140, or email Newby at [email protected] for more information on the services ElderHelp provides.
Micah Bracken with a log round to be cut into firewood.
Andrew Applehann removes the bark from a piece of firewood.
Close to 200 cords of wood will be split from the logs delivered to the ElderHelp site in Rathdrum.
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