Each month we will feature a “Profile in Compassion” from a firewood bank to share inspiring stories of bank leaders, volunteers, or firewood recipients. This month we feature Mike and Sherri Dunn, coordinators for the firewood ministry for CommunityWorx in Maryville, Tennessee. Please feel free to suggest the next one!
What is your occupation and background/relation within the community?
Mike (M): I am the service manager for a local HVAC company in Maryville TN. I moved here 9 years ago after spending 2 years at Miracle Lake Christian Training Center due to drug addiction. I was saved and baptized at Miracle Lake and allowed the Lord to take over my life. It was during this time that the Lord laid missions on my heart. I began working with a local mission organization doing firewood work. CommunityWorx was established and took over the firewood ministry and I have been leading this ministry since. Also, getting active in Victory Baptist church helped me get established in the community.
Sheri (S): I work for a local fabrication shop as the office manager. I spent many years in the banking world, but changed to this position about a year ago. I have volunteered for different organizations over the years, but have been working with CommunityWorx over the last 6 years.
What made you want to get involved in your firewood bank?
M: Having had years of experience with saws and wanting to do missions, firewood seemed to be a great fit for me.
S: I began helping Mike with the firewood ministry when we started dating in 2018. Since then, the delivery coordinator retired and I have taken over those duties.
What motivates your work? In what ways is this work meaningful for you?
M: I am motivated to do this work because I see the living conditions and needs of the clients that we serve. Knowing that the Lord has given me a way to help people stay warm makes this hard work meaningful for me.
S: I do this work because it is a way for me to work in the community to serve those who have less financially than I do. The people we serve do not have any other way to keep warm during the cold winter months. It also gives me the opportunity to just show love and compassion when the client calls in to get on the delivery list.
What do you find most satisfying about the work you are doing?
M & S: Knowing that we are doing this work for the Lord is the most satisfying.
What’s the hardest or most frustrating?
M: The hardest part of this ministry is making sure that we have enough wood to last for the season and enough put away for the next year.
S: As the delivery coordinator, the hardest part is making sure that I have enough deliverers available for the requests that are coming.
What's your favorite story related to firewood bank work?
M & S: A few years ago, we delivered to a very sweet lady that was suffering from cancer. She was so appreciative, but what warmed our hearts, was that she wanted to come out and help unload and stack the wood. She was frail and feeble and we tried to get her to just sit, but she insisted on helping. That just showed us the thankfulness she had in her heart and we enjoyed visiting with her on each delivery. She has since passed but we still think of her often.
What's a piece of advice/words of wisdom you have for other people working/volunteering at firewood banks?
M: A piece of advice, even though the work is very difficult, pushing through until the end to see the appreciation of the ones served, and knowing they are warm is definitively worth it. Also, get as many people involved in volunteering so that they will receive a blessing as well.
S: A piece of advice from the delivery stand point, try to be as organized as possible so that it will be easier to get the deliveries scheduled. The deliverers enjoy this volunteer opportunity and often speak about how rewarding it is to go out and talk with the ones we serve and learn about them. The deliverer will call me if the client has any prayer needs and we get them added to the prayer list as well.
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