Norwich Wood Bee Provides Firewood and Winter Warmth

Each year, volunteers for the Norwich Wood Bee spend a fall day cutting, splitting, and stacking wood to ensure those in need will have heat for the winter. This year, the program had about 10 volunteers come out to a woodlot on Beaver Meadow Road in Norwich on October 11. Participants were encouraged to bring wood splitters, wheelbarrows, and refreshments for an active day outdoors. They spent four to five hours moving wood to splitters, transferring the split wood to a shed, and stacking it.

Eric Friets, director of the Norwich Wood Bee, started as a volunteer on the fall work days and then took over coordinating the program in 2020. “We run entirely on volunteers,” he said. “All of our effort goes into firewood that keeps people warm.”

Those who need wood for the season can make requests through the Norwich town office or Upper Valley Haven.

Nancy Griffin, service coordinator with Upper Valley Haven, has been working with the Norwich Wood Bee for several years. She fields requests from people who request wood and shares them with Friets for the Wood Bee.

“They’re wonderful,” said Griffin. “They make the difference for a lot of families and individuals. Most people heat with something extra to save money, and they have been amazing.”

Friets said one of the unique aspects of the program is that it is very informal. They don’t have a charter or founding document, a budget, or a requirement for recipients to complete any forms or show proof of income.

“I love the efficiency of the aid,” said Friets. “How easy it is for recipients to contact us and how easy it is for us to get them wood. It’s simple and efficient in terms of impact.”

“This is just something very kind that’s being done that’s very useful, with no paperwork except for directions for where they’re going,” Griffin said. “That’s another wonderful thing, that we can do things just out of kindness. People don’t call here unless they’re in need. I think it’s really incredible that it exists.”

The Norwich Wood Bee typically holds one work day each fall that is open to anyone who would like to volunteer. Friets said occasionally a local organization or company will sponsor its employees for a volunteer day, or a youth group will participate.

The town provides the Norwich Wood Bee with trees that have fallen or were cut down along roads. Sometimes local residents who have trees taken down on their property donate it to the program. “Once we had someone who was doing some logging on their land offer us a whole truckload,” Friets said.

Between eight and 12 families from Norwich and surrounding communities will receive firewood this year. “He also delivers, to the hardest places in the world to get to sometimes,” said Griffin. “Which I really appreciate.”

Because the wood is not kiln-dried, the program can only deliver wood to homes in a 50-mile radius within Vermont to comply with Vermont forestry regulations.

Griffin has concerns about an increased need for fuel assistance this winter, as families continue to struggle with housing, food demand, and increasing costs. “The middle class is getting squeezed. Everything has gotten so much more expensive,” she said. “The community is really stepping up, though. Everywhere, you’re seeing people trying to fill in gaps for people, which is really nice. Vermont’s kind of like that, I think. It’s a great state to live in.”

Demo Sofronas attended the 2025 volunteer day and shared the experience through his About Norwich Substack newsletter. He described it as “a day that was filled with lots of activity and people were busy, energetic, and actually excited to be there to assist in this very worthwhile cause.”

Friets said he enjoys the physical aspect of the work day, as well as providing warmth for others in the community. “It’s good exercise, and I like to work outside,” he said. “I’ve really come to enjoy talking to the recipients that I see every year. This year, one of our long-time regular clients had called to make arrangements and then called back and said somebody had given them a cord of wood unexpectedly so they called to cancel to make sure someone else could get that wood.”

Friets gets the word out through the Norwich Listserv and emails to volunteers. Community members who would like to volunteer can contact the Norwich Wood Bee through the town office or Upper Valley Haven.

“Volunteers really make things happen,” said Griffin. “We couldn’t survive here without our volunteers. There’s so much talent in the Upper Valley and so much thoughtfulness. It makes you happy to be here, and grateful to be here.”