Community Sourced Firewood Business Supports Those in Need in Southern Indiana

Ajay Jackson and his team are hard at work processing firewood in Monroe County, a mission driven by personal experience.

“To the people inside - I want them to know there is hope and we are coming,” Jackson told WRTV.

Jackson, who has spent 28 years incarcerated, knows what it's like to come home with little to no options. He's determined to help those who were once in his shoes.

“He put me to work as soon as I got out,” Dane Dvorak told WRTV. Dvorak is a former inmate who now works at Jumble Firewood, a business that processes firewood and offers employment opportunities to people with criminal histories.

“My offense is sexual misconduct with a minor and nobody will hire that,” Kole Gunderman said, another former inmate who has found hope through Jumble Firewood.

Jackson's goal is to break the cycle of recidivism by giving people a chance at redemption. According to the IDOC, in 2020, 34.78% of offenders released were recommitted within three years.

“Keep your head up, just keep trying. Don't give up, because your past doesn't determine what your future is going to be,” Dvorak said.

Jackson hopes to expand Jumble Firewood into the DOC in the next few years, offering even more opportunities for redemption.