The Woodchucks are a group of volunteers and one of the original programs of the Boothbay Region Community Resource Council (BRCRC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Since the fall of 2008 the Woodchucks have been delivering split and seasoned stove length hard wood to our neighbors and friends in the Boothbay region who need help keeping their homes warm during the cold months of the year.

The Woodchucks were started by Henry Rowe and Bill Smith, longtime residents of Boothbay and very active in community affairs. Henry was a Boothbay selectman for a number of years and Bill was, and still is, one of Boothbay’s first responders as a member of the fire department. In these capacities they were keenly aware of many fellow residents of the region who were having difficulty with keeping their homes warm during the winter months. Along with some other concerned members of the community, the Woodchucks began harvesting and delivering good quality seasoned hard wood to some of the low income and vulnerable friends and neighbors in need of this help.

A third member of the original group was the late Maurice Landemare, who owned a large heavily wooded lot off of River Road. He donated a lot of seasoned wood and a place to store it. The word soon got around and increasing numbers of folks were added to the list of recipient families.

In late 2011, the Boothbay Selectmen unanimously nominated the Woodchucks for the Spirit of America Award, which was presented to the group at a local ceremony and later at the State House. This award is presented annually to various groups around the state for outstanding volunteerism.

Several years ago, in order to acquire a more convenient location to process and store the wood, the Woodchucks applied to the Boothbay Selectmen for a suitable space. As a result the Town of Boothbay has leased to the BRCRC, for use by the Woodchucks, a large corner portion of the Public Works area. Since then, and in order to protect it from ice and snow, much of the wood is stored in two large Quonset huts generously donated by Maurice Landemare.

Due to the generosity of our wonderful community, all of this wood has been donated by friends who appreciate the importance of this program. In addition, the four towns in the region have generously provided financial support to help cover some of the expenses associated with maintaining the program. And two years ago, the community helped the Woodchucks acquire a brand new log loader. This past season the Woodchucks delivered over 33 cords of wood to 30 families in Edgecomb, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Southport. Without this help, many families would have to choose between keeping warm and having enough food.

To assist in this important work, there is a growing need to acquire a good dump truck to load the wood where it is stored and then deliver it to families in a timely manner, without the need for a lot of heavy manual labor. Some may wonder why we need a dump truck when we have been successful without it for so long. The answer is simple. We are an aging group. In fact, four members of the original group have passed away and some others are in declining health. Bill Smith has said “I can no longer do the heavy lifting that I could a few years ago.” Another member, Barclay Shepard, who is pushing 93, has wisely given up using his heavy chain saw.

We still have a lot of wood to give and still care deeply about our neighbors. With the right tools, we can continue to provide this vital service to the community. Your help will enable BRCRC to purchase a used 4-wheel drive dump truck. Our goal is to raise $12,000. It’s lot of money, but it will keep the Woodchucks delivering vital winter wood for many more seasons to come.

If you would like to support this important effort, please contact Katie Spencer White, Executive Director of BRCRC at 350-9631. Donations may be mailed to BRCRC at P.O. Box 43, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538. All donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to know more about volunteering as a Woodchuck, or if you would like information about any of our other programs, call the BRCRC office at 633-6272.