MEMPHIS, Tenn. — FedEx Corp. and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation are joining this holiday season to deliver real Christmas trees to thousands of military members and their families through the popular Trees for Troops program, now entering its sixth year. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, FedEx will deliver approximately 15,000 real Christmas trees to more than 50 military facilities in the U.S. and overseas as part of the 2010 Trees for Troops program.
First delivery
FedEx Express picked up approximately 300 trees Nov. 10 from the Ohio Christmas Tree Association’s Operation Evergreen at the Ohio Department of Agriculture Reynoldsburg campus in Columbus, Ohio. These trees were delivered to service members stationed in Iraq via the FedEx Express hub in Indianapolis.
A second shipment of nearly 100 trees will depart Nov. 30 from Indianapolis for service members stationed in Bahrain, aboard vessels of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and other locations and more than 800 Christmas trees will be delivered Dec. 2 to Camp Pendleton.
Growth
Since its first year in 2005, the Trees for Troops program has quadrupled in size and donations.
Program highlights include:
In the program’s first year, 4,300 trees were delivered to troops and military families at five bases in the U.S. and overseas.
More than 65,000 real Christmas trees have been distributed to families in every branch of the military at more than 50 bases in 17 countries.
More than 800 tree farms and retail lots in 27 states have donated trees.
FedEx Freight trucks have traveled nearly 200,000 over-the-road miles to pick up and deliver the trees.
Throughout November, National Christmas Tree Association members around the country will donate thousands of trees to Trees for Troops through the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, the NCTA’s philanthropic branch. FedEx Express air operations will handle international tree deliveries, and the FedEx Freight trucking networks will move trees to military bases throughout the U.S.
Participation
As in previous years, the public may also participate in Trees for Troops by purchasing trees and attaching a personal message for troops at more than 30 retail locations nationally during the official Trees for Troops weekend, Dec. 3-5. Donated trees will be added to the program’s delivery schedule. Retail locations are available at www.treesfortroops.org.
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If there isn’t a Trees for Troops Weekend location near you you can still make a difference by texting the word ‘TREE’ to 50555 to make a $10 donation. $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill/ deducted from your prepaid account.
Well, it is a nice habit in some way. But to read those numbers of delivered real Christmas trees doesn´t do any good to me… Is it really necessary to have a real Christmas tree on every military base? Actually, what do they do with the tree when the holiday is over? Would they treat it as rubbish? So, where is the point of all of this?