Larry Baker and Pastor John Fogle unloaded wood outside Round Hill Church of the Brethren at 28138 Old Valley Pike in Toms Brook. The Toms Brook site is a community firewood bank offering free wood to help neighbors heat their homes through the cold months ahead.
The Toms Brook site joins an existing wood bank at the Auto Care Clinic on South Main Street in Woodstock, which Fogle, Katie Furneisen and Brian Schennum helped stock with a truckload of wood back in November 2025. Furneisen is a contact for the Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter, one of the partners in the firewood-bank effort. The program provides free firewood to Shenandoah County residents who need fuel to heat their homes. Fogle is pastor of Seven Bends Church in Woodstock, and Baker is a member of Round Hill Church of the Brethren, which agreed to host the new rack.
No Paperwork, Just Wood
Both the Toms Brook and Woodstock wood banks are open to any resident needing firewood to heat their home, and they run on an honor system with no paperwork or proof of eligibility required. Elderly residents and families with young children use the resource, sometimes returning on consecutive days. The Woodstock rack typically operates from November through March, and last winter it moved through roughly 70 cords of firewood while also serving residents who traveled in from other parts of the county.
Demand at the original Woodstock location proved immediate: a supply of firewood disappeared within about an hour after the rack was restocked. The Toms Brook bank has already been replenished several times since it opened, Baker and Fogle unloading fresh wood as supplies run low.
Community Partnerships Behind the Effort
Fogle has said the idea traces back to a family member in Montana, as reported by WHSV, who told him about a similar firewood program running there. He has said the initiative grew through community partnerships, and he hopes it continues to expand through new volunteers and alliances. The effort now links the Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter with the Town of Woodstock, the Auto Care Clinic, Gochenour Sawmill Company, and students from Triplett Tech, who helped build a wood storage rack in Woodstock.
Much of the Woodstock bank's supply comes from a partnership with the town's arborist department, which repurposes wood from trees it removes, according to WHSV's reporting. Residents also donate wood from their own properties, dropping off loads that volunteers then cut and stack for distribution. Baker and other members of Round Hill Church of the Brethren have gathered wood from fallen trees and organized a wood-splitting gathering to help build up the Toms Brook supply.
How Neighbors Can Help
Organizers accept various types of firewood but avoid pine and spruce, since their high sap content can create burning hazards. Residents donate wood, which volunteers cut and stack for distribution. Fogle has said regular small contributions can make a real difference, pointing to the idea of residents contributing just one load of firewood a month as community members consider how to support the effort by donating dry, split wood.
The Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter also maintains a list of people with wood available to be cut, and organizers hope to recruit volunteers to help transport firewood. Those interested in donating wood, volunteering, or learning more can reach the Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter at 540-459-3212. In partnership with the Salvation Army, the organization also administers a Utility Assistance Program and a Rent/Mortgage Program for county residents, and it operates a HelpLink system that coordinates local churches to avoid duplicating financial assistance across Shenandoah County.
The expansion comes as federal forecasters offer a mixed outlook for winter heating costs nationwide. The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects households that primarily heat with natural gas or propane, about half of all U.S. households, to spend less on energy this winter than last, though the agency's available outlook does not break down the figure further for every fuel type. For families counting on a wood stove or fireplace to get through the season, the Toms Brook and Woodstock racks offer a simpler bet: show up, and if the wood is there, take what you need.
