PONDERAY — The sun was out; the sky mostly blue with a scattered clouds. 

And through the laughter and conversation came the whir of a chainsaw and the steady thunk of an axe as volunteers first cut trees into chunks and then into firewood segments. 

Each year, roughly 25 to 30 veterans are given firewood through the local Veterans of Foreign Wars' firewood program. The wood heats their homes and fuels their stoves, keeping them warm and fed, Thomas Lindley, Bonner County Veterans Services officer, said. 

"There are people in the county who are having to choose between dinner and heat," Lindley said. "And many don't even realize it." 

This program makes sure that doesn't happen. But it takes an army of volunteers to pull it off. At this year's volunteer day on Oct. 24, volunteers turned out from Cedar Hills Church, the Sandpoint Elks, local Rotary Club members, Lake Pend Oreille School District ROTC members and the VFW. 

In total, several dozen people turned out for the woodcutting party at the VFW's new woodlot as part of an effort to cut and stack enough firewood to get local veterans through the winter. 

"Really, it's just a fabulous day," said Michele Murphree, who organized the event through Cedar Hills Church. "It's just a great feeling to know that the things we did today will directly help someone." 

Each year, the program gives away 12 to 18 cords of wood, depending on the need and the severity of the winter. Logs are donated by people cleaning up their property or by tree service companies hired for the work. The trees need to go somewhere, and often, VFW officials said, they call them to drop the logs at the VFW lot in Ponderay. Periodically, volunteers gather at the yard to break the logs down, turning them into split firewood that can be donated to local veterans. 

Stoddard said the VFW program gives post members and other volunteers a chance to stockpile a lot of firewood for local veterans or their widows, keeping them warm during the winter months. 

"Not only do we take care of veterans, we take care of their widows, and also if we get recommendations from one of the churches," Stoddard said. "If somebody's in need, really in need of wood, then we open up our doors to them, too." 

The program is a tangible way that the VFW and the community can give back to those who served, Stoddard said. While on the surface it is a way to give veterans something they need, it is also a way to recognize their service and thank them for their many sacrifices. 

"These are hard times right now, and prices are going crazy," he said. "So, if we can help out a fellow veteran or a person in need? We're going to do it." 

Started by former VFW Post 2453 commander Michael Harmelin and others roughly 10 years ago, the program aims to help area veterans in need. At its previous and current locations, dozens of cords of wood are carefully processed, stacked and readied. All veterans need to do is show paperwork verifying their veteran status, and the wood is theirs. 

Among the recipients was an elderly military widow who needed a cord of wood to make it through a recent winter. Not all of the wood fit in her small red pickup, so the woman came back. 

After loading the remaining firewood, Stoddard offered to follow her home and help unload it. 

"'No,' she said. 'This gives me something to do for the rest of the day,'" Stoddard said. "She was just really appreciative to get the firewood." 

It's moments like that, and the dozens of people who turn up, that make the hard work worthwhile, Murphree said. 

Leading up to the event, she was worried if she'd have enough volunteers and began calling local organizations, including the Sandpoint Elks, to recruit volunteers. 

"Danielle (Ruhmshottel) from the Elks sent out an email and my phone just started lighting up," Murphree said. "People were so excited." 

She soon had a lengthy list of volunteers, all promising to bring everything from axes and chainsaws to other equipment. 

"It's so gratifying to see people so happy doing this work and stepping up," she said. "They're thanking me (for giving them this chance to help)." 

The annual day of service readies firewood for the community's veterans in need. The day is a "labor of love," with a diverse group of volunteers turning out to help, Lindley said. 

The Veterans Services officer said he loves how the community comes together for the event, showing that area residents care about each other, especially local veterans. 

That is also why Murphree is involved in organizing the volunteer event through Cedar Hills Church. She connected with the program a few years ago when she was on the Food For Our Children board, a local nonprofit working to end childhood hunger. The VFW donated money from the post's bingo games, which helped Southside Elementary purchase weekend food bags for students in need. 

When she asked how she could help them in return, VFW officials said they needed two things: help with firewood and help with bingo. Murphree thought firewood sounded more fun. 

"I just love this day so much," she said of the firewood volunteer event. "It allows people to come out here and thank our veterans." 

While important, the program is only one of many programs the organization is involved with. Others include housing and vehicle assistance, educational scholarships, mental health support and help transition to civilian life. 

"Any time a vet is in need, we're there to help," Stoddard said. 

Like Stoddard, Lindley encouraged veterans to seek their benefits. They have earned them through their service and have the right to all the programs and benefits offered to them. 

"I have a picture in my office that says, 'Veterans pay for their service with their lives, some all at once and some over a lifetime," Lindley said. "And it's true because the military asks you to do some amazing things with your body and you do it. You don't ask questions. You smile. You have a great time. And you have stories for the rest of your life but it takes a toll." 

Beyond assistance programs like the firewood project, the VFW also serves as a gathering place for local veterans and their families.

The VFW post is bright and airy, with games, a pool table and large-screen TVs ideal for watching games or catching up on favorite shows. Children's activities also are on hand to give young families a place to hang out, and movie nights, or more accurately movie afternoons, are held every Tuesday. 

"We are not your grandfather or your father's VFW," Stoddard said. 

Stoddard wants all veterans to know the VFW is "their" place, whether they served last year or 50 years ago. Beyond the services, the organization offers camaraderie and fellowship from those who know what sacrifices that service included.

"We're sharing stories — war stories, the good times and the bad times that we all understand," he said. "When you're sitting on some DMZ and it's freezing cold and you have nothing to eat … we understand. We know that it's not all butterflies and roses out there in the world." 

Whether someone served as a cook or an infantryman, they served. And that, Stoddard said, is the important part. 

"It doesn't matter what you are, if you're a cook or an administrative person, or an infantryman, or a gunner on an aircraft," he added. "The fact is that you're in harm's way, and we understand that, and we want to create a fellowship with you." 

Lindley agreed. 

"Be proud of your service. It doesn't matter if you were a cook or a Tier 1 operator," he added. "Be proud of your service because it was yours and it was unique and it had a positive impact on America."

    A Sandpoint High School JROTC member tries her hand at splitting firewood.
  

    A volunteer uses a chainsaw to cut a log into sections at a recent work party to chop firewood. Part of a program by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, the annual event is held to get firewood into the hands of veterans in need.
  

    Kent Hunt helps a volunteer prep firewood for splitting at a recent workday event.
  

    A Sandpoint High School JROTC member tries her hand at splitting firewood.
  

    Volunteers for a veterans' service project get logs ready to be split into firewood.
  

    Volunteers work to prep firewood for the community's veterans at a recent work party.
  

    A volunteer tosses a piece of firewood onto a stack as more than three dozen people turned out to get firewood ready for community veterans in need.