Keeping Grass Valley Warm: Gold Country Senior Services 2026 Site Visit

Gold Country Senior Services Board President, Present & Past Executive Directors, and Client Manager in the firewood lot

Gold Country Senior Services operates a senior firewood bank for low-income residents in Grass Valley, California. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the heart of Gold Country, this service center has supported older residents of West Nevada County since 1976. It is one of the oldest operating firewood bank grantees we have worked with. Its programs span everything from meal delivery and nutrition support to cybersecurity education—and, critically, heating assistance through seasoned, split, and delivered firewood.

Volunteers splitting and stacking wood during an April volunteer workday

The firewood program is powered by a dedicated community of volunteers, with about a dozen regularly showing up for weekly workdays at the wood lot. Processing happens year-round on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in efficient two-hour shifts. Many volunteers heat their own homes with wood and take pride in moving this essential resource from nearby forests to local homes. One of them, Rich—an eight-year volunteer and the self-described “Yard Boss”—brings both skill and humor to the operation.

long-time volunteer and sawyer, Rich

Volunteers arrive ready to saw or split, though most gravitate toward the splitter. After a full spring and summer of processing, the broader community joins in for distribution. Recipients load their trucks during three organized pickup days: the last Saturday in September, the first Saturday in October, and the first Saturday in November. Each household receives one to one-and-a-half cords of firewood to help meet winter heating needs.

“Our wood is the kind of wood you’d like to have in your living room for Christmas!” Rich says.

The wood lot itself is both practical and surprisingly well-suited to the task. Leased from the county, the site isn’t viable for most uses due to past contamination, but its smooth asphalt surface makes it ideal for organizing and processing firewood. Volunteers stack wood neatly by species and cover it with large white tarps—funded by the Alliance for Green Heat’s Firewood Bank Assistance Program—to keep it dry while seasoning. Half the lot is dedicated to hardwoods like oak and madrone; the other half to softwoods like pine. Because hardwood is in high demand, Gold Country sells about 175 cords of oak annually at $350 per cord (delivered), using the revenue to subsidize the softwood they provide free to seniors.

Soon to be split heating fuel

Eligibility for firewood assistance is based on income, using federal poverty guidelines. Once enrolled, recipients continue receiving wood as long as their circumstances remain the same. Demand is steady, with a typical waitlist and 10–15 new households added each heating season. Sonia Jimenez, who manages client relations, checks in with returning recipients each summer to estimate how much wood the program will need to process for the coming winter.

Sonia first connected with Gold Country through the firewood program itself—something many locals know well. Calls come in almost daily from across the county offering wood to donate. Arborists and property owners are often eager to see excess wood put to good use. The program prioritizes pickups from residents who can’t move or dispose of the wood themselves and limits its sourcing radius to about 10 miles around Grass Valley to keep costs manageable.

Growth is steady but constrained by volunteer capacity and space. Recently, however, Gold Country established a relationship with the Bureau of Land Management to access small-diameter fuelwood from the Inimim Forest along the San Juan Ridge. While promising, the partnership comes with logistical and financial challenges. “This new source of wood is great to have,” says board president Jonathan Walker, “but it’s very expensive to organize delivery and secure.” For now, the program remains open to a mix of sources, especially free or low-cost wood.

Wood sourced from BLM

Despite its long history, the firewood program continues to rely on outside support. The Alliance for Green Heat has funded essential infrastructure like metal storage containers, safety gear, splitters, and chainsaws, while revenue from hardwood sales and a single annual fundraiser helps cover additional costs. Like many parts of Gold Country Senior Services, the program depends on volunteers to make it all work.

That spirit of connection runs throughout the organization. Volunteers delivering Meals on Wheels may also help assess home safety, including wood-burning appliances. While firewood delivery volunteers don’t enter homes, they do provide Burn Wise materials with each load to promote safe and efficient burning.

Leadership transitions are also underway. After four years as executive director, Leslie Lovejoy is stepping down to rejoin the board. Her successor, Jay Chandler, brings a long career in county social services and is eager to explore how the firewood bank can grow sustainably.

AGH Hannah Stinson tours firewood lot with Gold Country Senior Services board members and staff

Spending time at Gold Country Senior Services, it’s clear this is more than a fuel program. It’s a community effort rooted in dignity, practicality, and care. Neighbors helping neighbors stay warm in a place where wood heat is still a way of life.

Major Equipment Purchased with AGH Firewood Bank Assistance Grant:

20x40 Heavy Duty Tarps

20 ft. Metal Shipping Container

Trailer under $10,000

Shade Awning