Baily Helm, a Project W.A.R.M volunteer, saws logs that will become firewood for area residents in need.
In the North Side of Richmond, tucked away in a back lot surrounded by tree stumps the size of monster truck tires, a swarm of volunteers is hard at work. They spend their Saturday mornings cutting, chopping, stacking and hauling the wood in the lot for the wood-burning stoves that keep some Richmonders warm when there’s no alternative.
For nearly 50 years, Project W.A.R.M. has delivered free firewood to those in need, making sure locals stay comfortable through the winter.
The project’s name is an acronym: Wood Association of Richmond Metro was founded to provide for the population of area residents who rely on wood as their main heating fuel. Today, the project counts dozens of volunteers who deliver free firewood to roughly 45 homes in the region, making nearly 150 deliveries per season.
(From left) Volunteers Wesley Nelms and Troy Ross deliver a load of firewood.
“We get to know each other well, and the people we deliver to just as well,” says Mary Ann Wilson, the project’s co-founder and an advisory board member of the Salvation Army of Central Virginia. To receive firewood from the project, Richmond residents can contact the Salvation Army of Central Virginia to be screened for eligibility, which involves inspecting the heating element for safety as well as evaluating need-based criteria.
“The project started with Lou,” Wilson says. Lou Wilson, Mary Ann’s late husband, began the project with her in 1976, after a local news broadcast showed a woman using her clothes as fuel for her wood-burning stove.
“It was a brutally cold winter that year, and he stood up and said, ‘Not on my watch,’ and called up the Marines,” Wilson says. Lou, a former chief petty officer in the Navy, used his military background to find people who would dedicate their time collecting and delivering firewood. That kicked off their first year in operation.
In 1978, the Salvation Army of Central Virginia got involved to manage the intake process. From there, partnerships with service organizations, deals with the city of Richmond and independent organizing efforts have allowed the group to grow in size, expand in scope and find a home for its operations. “We’ve been doing this rain or shine every year,” Wilson says. “That’s just amazing to me.”
(From left) Volunteers Steve Allen and Abigail Whorley split logs before loading.
Their latest partnership is with the Rotary Club of Richmond, who made a large donation to the group to invest in equipment to help cut wood. Steve Allen, an active longtime member, helps maintain the equipment and the group’s wood lot, a city-owned property near John Marshall High School where volunteers meet weekly on Tuesday afternoons in the summer months to prep wood for the upcoming season and weekly on Saturday mornings in the winter to cut, stack and load it for delivery.
Many volunteers have come to build relationships with their delivery recipients and have seen numerous residents in situations like the one that first inspired Lou. “There are people that 100% depend on this wood, every week,” volunteer Wesley Nelms says. “They don’t have an alternative or a backup.”
For some, the effort is a family affair as current and former volunteers have passed their compassion down to multiple generations. “Kids have grown up here,” Wilson says. “It’s become like a big family.”
Lydia Whorley, a high school student in Richmond, has come along on firewood deliveries “since I was really little,” she says. Her grandfather, Durwood Usry, was another longtime volunteer who contributed greatly for decades. When Durwood died, Lydia’s mother, Abigail, started going with her in his place. “It meant a lot to him to help other people, and now it’s a great way to spend our time together,” Abigail says.
(From left) Abigail Whorley, Project W.A.R.M. co-founder Mary Ann Wilson and Lydia Whorley
Alex Innes became a volunteer in 2021 when he joined the Rotary Club of Richmond. He found Project W.A.R.M. while looking for “get-your-hands-dirty-type projects,” he says. “I work behind a computer all day, and I wanted something that I could do that was a little different.” Innes, who grew up in Chester but moved back to Richmond after a decade in Washington, D.C., also wanted something he could eventually introduce to his daughter, Claire.
“We all have to play our part in making sure that everybody has, you know, a comfortable life,” Innes says. “I want her to see that, when people need help in our community, you respond and you help them.”
For those looking to donate their time to the group, reach out to the Salvation Army’s Central Virginia Area Command office, which organizes volunteer efforts and can connect interested volunteers to Project W.A.R.M. for more information.
Never miss a Sunday Story: Sign up for the newsletter, and we’ll drop a fresh read into your inbox at the start of each week. To keep up with the latest posts, search for the hashtag #SundayStory on Facebook and Instagram.
