"It was the most productive work day, yet." exclaimed Bob Wolfe, Coordinator for Coalition.

Armed with chain saws, hydraulic wood splitters, and pick up trucks, volunteers from St Paul's Christian Church attacked a pile of dumped trees and limb debris at the Raleigh Yard Waste Center. By the end of the morning, the pile had been reduced to 12 pickup truck loads of firewood. The wood was delivered to needy families that were referred to Coalition by Wake County Opportunities, a social services agency. Many of the recipients are elderly and shut ins.

Coalition began 30 years ago as a project of Raleigh Area Ministries. Originally, the project involved bagging coal in St Paul's parking lot but quickly moved as it grew. Today wood has replaced coal as the use of coal has diminished. Some of the men who participated in the first delivery are still at it 30 years later. They included Boe Green, Ray Smith, and The Rev. Tom Law, retired minister from St Paul's.