By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Since 2005, U.S. military personnel and their families have enjoyed a bit of Christmas from home, thanks to the Trees for Troops program.

More than 50,000 trees have been donated since the program’s inception, said Nicole Fischer, program coordinator for the Christmas Spirit Foundation (CSF). CSF, the nonprofit branch of the National Christmas Tree Assoc., organizes the Trees for Troops program.

Trees are donated by Christmas tree farms, retail outlets and consumers. They are then delivered to several drop-off locations across the country, where they are prepared for shipment in the United States and abroad. FedEx provides pickup and delivery of all the trees free of charge.

“This is the least we can do for those who are serving our country,” Fischer said. “This is something a lot of farmers did on their own, on a smaller scale, before we started this program. This is just something farmers feel strongly about.”

About 4,300 trees were delivered to five military bases during the program’s first year, Fischer said. Last year, about 17,000 trees were delivered to 50 military bases. More than 750 farms participated last year.

Once the trees reach the bases, it’s up to officials at each base to determine how the trees are distributed, Fischer said. Some will offer them on a first come, first serve basis, and others might use a voucher system or work with the base chaplain.

The Trees for Troops program shows how much Christmas tree farmers and consumers appreciate the military, said Tom Dull, co-chair of the Trees for Troops effort in Indiana.

“From the enlistee’s point of view, how cool would it be to get a little taste of home, a little bit of that aroma, from a tree?” he said. “And for the families missing their enlistee, it’s a gesture of ‘thank you’ to them for their involvement in the safety of our country.”

About 30 Hoosier Christmas tree farms are expected to donate trees this season, Dull said. Some will be shipped to the Navy’s 5th fleet in Bahrain and the rest will be distributed in the Great Lakes region.

Dull’s Christmas tree farm in Boone County serves as an accumulation point for all donated trees in the state. Trees to be shipped out of the country will be delivered to his farm by Nov. 24, when they will be packaged and picked up by FedEx.

“Since they’re going out of the country, the trees have to be inspected for any insect or disease problems, and then they must be packaged,” he explained.

Trees that are sent overseas are packed in wax boxes to help keep them fresh. “Imagine opening that box and smelling and savoring that aroma,” Dull said. “That would bring back so many memories.”
To raise money and awareness, CSF is sponsoring a Tweetup4Troops event this Saturday through Nov. 14. The use of the social media site Twitter is another way to promote fundraising events, Fischer said.

“You can use Twitter to share ideas and post information,” she said. “The fundraising events could be a trivia night, bake sale or car wash. You don’t necessarily have to use Twitter, but it’s a great new way to get your message out there. We chose the week of Veteran’s Day to honor our veterans.”

During the Trees for Troops weekend, Dec. 4-6, consumers may purchase trees for the program at any one of about 40 farms, retail lots or garden centers around the country, she said.

For more information on the Trees for Troops program and the fundraising events, see www.treesfortroops.org