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Firewood Cuts Heat Bills
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Rising fuel costs and shrinking budgets have forced many families to make choices between a warm home and life’s other necessities. An army of ax-wielding volunteers is making sure families on the land belonging to the Cherokee tribe don’t face winter’s cold alone. Heidi Robinson reports. |
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SCRIPT:
(Locator: Cherokee, North Carolina)Barbara Battiest: “Whether you’re related or not, in the Native American tradition we’re all family…”
…which makes this labor of love a family reunion.
Barbara Battiest, her husband, three sisters, one brother-in-law and a family friend saved vacation time and money to travel from Broken Bow, Oklahoma…
Barbara Battiest: “About thirteen hours…straight driving.”
…to cut firewood to help the families of Cherokee, North Carolina beat frigid temperatures this winter.
The Rev. Austin Battiest, Bethel Hill United Methodist: “We grew up burning wood. That was our means of keeping warm. So we felt like coming here, we were able to help other people, the elderly people of the reservation.”
United Methodist pastor Austin Batteist and his family belong to the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma. The firewood helps the elderly and disabled living on Cherokee land to cut heating costs and honor tradition.
Oneida Winship, Volunteer from Choctaw Nation: “It’s more natural to them. It’s off the land, off the Mother, the earth itself.”
There’s no central heat in this 100-year-old cabin…home to two women: one disabled, her sister unemployed.
Volunteer: “You tell us when you’ve got enough.”
Christie Niles gloved hands demonstrate her dilemma…the woodstove and the fireplace need fuel to fight freezing temperatures.
Christie Niles: “At five o’clock this morning it was 30 degrees in here.”
The Rev. Jeff Ramsland, Cherokee United Methodist Church: “They need that wood as much as folks rely on turning on a thermostat.”
Now with wood stacked outside, these sisters have one less worry about the winter ahead.
C.J. Thompson-Seymour, Firewood Recipient: “If it stays cold and we had to burn it night and day, it would probably last us two months. That’s brotherhood. We appreciate it.”
TAG:
Volunteers from six states cut wood to supply the families in Cherokee, North Carolina throughout the winter. If you would like more information about ways to help this community, you can contact Cherokee United Methodist Church at 828-497-2948.
Also, see: Firewood ministry warms hearts, homes in mountains
Posted: Jan. 23, 2009