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Firewood Banks Aren’t Inspiring. They’re a Sign of Collapse. (newrepublic.com)

submitted 2 days ago by Delta_V@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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A wood bank is exactly what it sounds like. People in rural and Indigenous areas still heavily rely on wood heat as the primary fuel source for their homes. Volunteers cut and split firewood, stack it somewhere public, and give it away for free to those who can’t afford it. No paperwork. No means tests. No government forms. Just a pile of hardwood that shows up because someone else’s house would be cold without it.

Most articles about wood banks wrap them in the same tired language. Community spirit. Rural generosity. Neighbors helping neighbors. It’s the kind of coverage you get when journalists focus on the people stacking the wood instead of the conditions that made it necessary. They never mention the underlying reality. Wood banks exist because without them, people would freeze. It’s the same everywhere: Local news crews film volunteers splitting logs while pretending it’s heartwarming, reporting on senior citizens splitting 150 cords a year for neighbors in need as if the story is about kindness instead of the failure that created the need in the first place.

...The volunteers running wood banks aren’t performing resilience. They’re plugging holes in a sinking ship and doing the work the state stopped doing. They are the thin line between a cold snap and another obituary...

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[-] FaceDeer@fedia.io 13 points 2 days ago

The Reddit equivalent is r/orphancrushingmachine, named after a parody news story telling the uplifting fact that an orphan-crushing machine had been taken out of service for repairs and so wouldn't be crushing orphans for a while. The question of why there had to be an orphan-crushing machine in the first place went unaddressed.

this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2025

113 points (100.0% liked)

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