When the days get shorter and the temperature starts to drop, many people living in the mountains of Colorado depend on firewood to heat their homes and cook their food.
Unfortunately, the price of wood is rising, and for those on fixed incomes, maintaining a supply of usable wood can be a burden. That's where the Rocky Mountain Warm Hands Initiative steps in.
A Sustainable Firewood Assistance Program
When Dylan and Rachel Salrin moved to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it didn't take long for them to learn that having a steady supply of firewood is necessary for survival. One of their neighbors, who has lived in his home for 40 years, was struggling to maintain his wood supply, prompting Rachel to wonder how many others were facing the same strain.
The couple set up a nonprofit charity, The Rocky Mountain Warm Hands Initiative, to help, and applications for assistance began pouring in within just a few weeks.
As county departments referred households with immediate needs, the demand quickly outpaced the Sarlins' ability to process the wood that was available. Dylan needed a bigger and faster log splitter, so he reached out to RuggedMade.
The RuggedMade team provided a non-profit discount enabling Dylan to purchase a RuggedSplit 322-24-REX log splitter with features like a 4-way wedge, log lift, and catcher tray.
"Getting this splitter is hands-down the best thing we could have done to free up our production bottleneck," said Dylan.
The Rocky Mountain Warm Hands Initiative has a uniquely sustainable firewood source from wildfire mitigation efforts in their area. Between government action departments and private businesses that use sustainable forestry practices, a lot of mitigated trees are stacked in yards and on the sides of mountain roads. The nonprofit retrieves some of those trees before they end up in a landfill and cuts them into usable firewood for those in need.
Applications for firewood assistance are accepted a year before deliveries, which occur in late summer and early fall. At this point, the charity serves Boulder, Jefferson, and Gilpin Counties in Colorado, giving community members much-needed fuel to get through the cold Colorado winters.
"One story that always stands out to me is a call I received from Boulder County's Department of Aging. They described an elderly woman living about an hour away, who lives alone in a home primarily heated by her fireplace since the propane heater broke down years ago," said Dylan. "She is on a fixed income and ran out of wood in late February. We got a cord of wood out to her the next day, and when we pulled up, her existing wood pile was down to kindling. She came out in three winter jackets and described how cold the home was. She invited us in and offered us water bottles, as the house no longer had running water. This is a far too common reality for so many in these communities. People need help, and there was no centralized identity to fill this gap before the Rocky Mountain Warm Hands Initiative," Dylan added.
One anonymous recipient of the wood the nonprofit distributes shared their experience:
"I got a message from Dylan telling me that he had wood for me in late March when I was nearly out. I heat my home in Loveland solely on wood (and do a fair amount of cooking on the wood stove as well). I was getting worried, as I live on less than $5,000.00 a year, and there's no way that I can afford to buy a cord of wood for $500.00. When I arrived, I was greeted by a kind, bright, young man cutting wood up. We loaded my trailer and chatted away like old friends. I am incredibly grateful for the half cord of wood he gave me. It is equivalent to 3-4 weeks of wood at this point in the year. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
When asked why they stepped in to fill the gap, Dylan said, "There is no greater privilege in the world for us than giving back to the very same communities that welcomed us with open arms years ago."
