For the past five months, a New Mexico man has been delivering tons of free firewood to people living throughout Navajo Nation.
Zoel Zohnnie was raised in Tuba City, Arizona and has founded a new organization that has been driving truckloads of firewood since October to 24 Navajo Nation communities.
Zohnnie started the Sasquatch Fellowship where they have delivered over 120 tons of firewood since the Fall.
Navajo Nation has been hit hard during the pandemic, making it harder to get access to essentials — like wood, and water. If Navajo Nation were a state, they would have the highest per capita rates for total COVID-19 cases in the country.
According to ABC15 data analyst Garrett Archer, daily new coronavirus cases are down 89% from their peak that happened last November.
Zohnnie said he was laid off from his job last March, and he decided to help others by delivering water during the start of the pandemic, and then firewood during the colder months.
“For now the firewood situation in Northern Arizona, Tuba City, and Navajo Nation is getting better because it's getting warmer but there’s still a need for the next few weeks, there’s going to be a need next winter, it's not going to go away,” said Zohnnie.
ABC15 has learned that Zohnnie is being honored for his work, “Jones Soda is including an image of Zoel on 50,000 soda bottles that will be distributed throughout the country as part of their “Unsung Heroes” initiative bringing awareness to those who have gone above and beyond in the past year,” a press release said.
Zohnnie said he receives donations for firewood from different states — most times driving to pick them up before delivering them to different families on the reservation.
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