Christmas tree farms in Ingham, Missaukee and Van Buren counties recently donated upwards of 1,000 trees to Trees for Troops, a national-level program that provides holiday spirit to military families one evergreen at a time.
Hosting tree pickup and loading events after Thanksgiving were:
- Tannenbaum Farms of Mason, run by Ingham County Farm Bureau members Laurie and Mel Koelling.
- Dutchman Tree Farms of Manton, run by the Hoekwater and Maciborski families, members of the Missaukee County Farm Bureau.
- Wahmhoff Farms Nursery of Gobles, run by Van Buren County Farm Bureau members Dan and Ken Wahmhoff.
Member farms of the Michigan Christmas Tree Association have contributed to Trees for Troops since it began in 2004. Altogether the program has provided more than 262,000 Christmas trees to military families and troops in the United States and overseas.
FedEx Freight is another partner, providing shipping and logistics for tree delivery to military installations nationwide.
The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation/Trees for Troops is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Trees for Troops counts on donations from the public to make this program succeed year after year.
For more information, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.christmasspiritfoundation.org. Contributions help service members and their families receive a real Christmas tree and keep the spirit of a traditional Christmas celebration alive.