Lordy this comment section is tiring: * The number of wood banks are increasing in Maine because of rising cost of living meaning residents can't afford the $3

Lordy this comment section is tiring: * The number of wood banks are increasing in Maine because of rising cost of living meaning residents can't afford the $300/cord anymore and because of cuts to the LIHEAP program. * Wood banks function identically to food banks except it's for heat. A rise in the number of food banks as well as a rise in demand from food banks is a natural signal of economic conditions on the ground. * Just like food banks, these wood banks are a source of community for the participants. Volunteering at a food bank stocking pantries and putting together bags with your friends is actually kind of fun which is where the heartwarming angle comes from. * If you believe that it shouldn't be the community's job to come together to provide their neighbors food and heat and that's what government is supposed to be for then this reasonably looks like a failing. * This government failing combined with the economic conditions that necessitate additional assistance signaling a downward spiral is broadly the author's thesis. * Some general additional context: heating your home with wood is actually pretty great. It's often cheaper than other sources of heat, it's a form of renewable energy (and actually qualified for the Biden tax credit because of it) and there are high efficiency stoves that get the wood burning "clean" as well as tip the economics even more in favor of wood.