For over 30 years the Forks Lions Club has arranged for two loads of logs to be hauled from the Olympic Peninsula to the east side of Washington in Quincy. In exchange for the wood, the Quincy Lions Club provides the Forks Lions with produce that is distributed to food banks located in the West End. This transaction is beneficial to each community.
The Forks Lions leave on Friday and return on Sunday. On Friday afternoon, the donated logs are unloaded in a vacant lot in downtown Quincy. Saturday morning both clubs meet and cut the logs into firewood.
The Quincy Lions are able to use the wood as a fundraiser to support community events they sponsor. The remainder of the wood is given to elderly and disabled community members in need.
In trade for the firewood, the Forks club members drive to a warehouse where their trucks and trailers are loaded with locally grown produce. The produce consists of apples, beans, carrots, onions, potatoes and pumpkins. The overwhelming amount of goods brought back to Forks are then dispersed to area food banks.
This annual event takes place at the end of October or beginning of November, giving the food banks much-needed help in time for the holidays.
The communities of Quincy and the West End benefit greatly from this yearly exchange. None of this would have been possible if not for some local businesses within the timber industry. The Forks Lions would like to thank the following people and businesses for their generous donations, time and effort in making such a big undertaking into another success:
Hermann Brothers and Rayonier who each donated an entire load of logs, Corey Morris of Corey Morris Trucking who donated his time and truck hauling one of the loads, Barry Swanson Trucking for use of one log truck, and Alan Kuchan for driving the second load of logs to Quincy. The combined effort of all is immensely appreciated by both Lions Clubs and their local residents.
