Lake Region Wood Bank In Maine Is Helping To Keep People Warm

WBZ NewsRadio's Drew Moholland speaks with William Shuttleworth. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, as we approach the holidays. A good little
story here. I am in Bridged in Maine with William's
Shuttleworth formerly of New Report. You may remember he walked
across the country for veterans' rights back in the day.
Is a good friend, William. How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm fine? Thank you.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
This great operation here, the Lake Region's Wood Bank is
your creation. You guys are busy here, chainsaws. Is a
lot going on, tell me about it today.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
We have about fourteen different volunteers and I created this
opportunity with Loon Echo, which is a trust fund for
economy and also the church. And what we do is
to collect wood and provide it for those people who
have no fuel oil or diesel fuel or heating oil
so that they don't get cold.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
This wine. That's unbelievable. The volunteers thing is, I mean,
it seems like people are eager to help.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
We have a website and people are here. Today's a
lovely day. We have delivered fifty truckloads of woods so
far to different people. We have about forty cords of
wood on stock here for people to come to get
or I can deliver, so nobody should go cold in this.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
Area, and it does get cold up here. I mean
when you do give that delivery, I mean, have you
seen some people that are just they must just be
so thankful and getting out of a tough spot.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
As you know, they canceled SNAP for a while, and
they canceled the Light Heat program, which is a low
income heating program. So people are desperate right now to
make ends meet. And when I deliver the wood, you
just can't believe the gratitude that people have about what
they are receiving.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
And I mean it's hard work back here. You guys
are getting after it.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
It is hard work. I put about forty to forty
five hours into it every week. It's worth it. It's
my mission for the community. It's more than delivering wood though.
It's a healing opportunity not only for the people that
get the wood, but this builds community for people to
want to give, and they always try to find a
way of how to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
You guys have real camaraderie happening right here.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
It's amazing. We have lunch and patience and coffee and
cider and people come together all walks of life. I
have a dentist here today, I have a biochemist is
here today. It's pretty wonderful, isn't it.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
It really is.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Williams.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Shuttle with great job. I'll let you get back to
it all

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Right, Okay, thanks so much from bridgeton Maine, Drew mholland WBZ,
Boston's news radio