A PROGRAM providing wood to needy households has been exhausted within days, prompting Orange City Council to consider topping it up.
Councillor Glenn Taylor will put forward a motion on Tuesday night to increase the total donation to the Wood Bank program from $5000 to $8500.
The council initially backed the program in July, agreeing to buy $5000-worth of wood, plus divert surplus wood from council operations to the program.
Wood Bank was launched late last month at Food Care, with one load allowed per household at no charge.
The council delivered 45 loads of wood to households, but in doing so completely exhausted the $5000 allocation.
Wood donations from the community were unable to be accepted due to workplace health and safety restrictions and the need to vet the wood.
Cr Taylor said the council had received additional requests for wood from those in need and believed the program should be extended.
"[Three-and-a-half thousand dollars] is a drop in the ocean effectively," he said.
Cr Taylor said he supported continuing the program next winter, but the council could not shoulder the entire responsibility.
If he is supported on Tuesday, funds are expected to come from unspent sports participation grant money from the 2018-19 budget, but they are expected to run out by the end of the month.
One member of the public has donated to the program, while I've Got Wood has committed to making some smaller pieces of wood available for collection at its Peisley Street premises.