Once again, the Christmas Spirit Foundation is offering free Christmas trees for military members and their families at selected locations across the country. With generous support from FedEx, the Trees for Troops program will deliver more than 18,000 donated trees, which are distributed on various dates from 30 November 2016 to 9 December 2016.
This is the 12th year for the Trees for Troops program. Tree farmers across America donate trees, which are delivered to bases during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
How It Works
Every base is a little different. There may be eligibility restrictions. For example, at Fort Lewis, the trees are available to families whose sponsor is rank E-5 and below. Also, there may be some sort of pre-registration or voucher system at your location. For example, Fort Bragg gives out vouchers before the event on a first come, first served basis.
Some bases do the tree distribution as part of an overall holiday event, such as Scott Air Force Base's holiday party and tree lighting event.
Want To Get A Tree?
First, check the list to see if your installation is receiving trees. Then, check the communication channels for your base to see if you qualify and if you need to take action before the delivery date. I've found Facebook to be very helpful for this. If you go to your installation's Facebook page, and use the search function to search for "trees," it will show you if your installation has advertised the Trees for Troops program via Facebook. If you can't find the information you need there, on the base webpage, or newspaper, then I suggest calling your family service center (Fleet and Family Readiness Center, Airman and Family Readiness Center, Army Community Service, or Marine Corps Community Service) for more information. Even if they're not running the program, they probably know who is.
Support The Program
You can help make the Trees for Troops even better by donating to the program and/or purchasing fresh trees at one of close to 50 Christmas tree retail locations nationally during Trees for Troops weekend, Dec. 2-4. Donated trees will be added to the program’s planned deliveries to U.S. bases during 2016. More information on how to get involved can be found at www.treesfortroops.org.
