Inside INdiana Business is reporting that about 200 freshly-cut pine and fir trees are headed to U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, Guam and Alaska, compliments of Indiana Christmas tree farmers.
The national kickoff for the annual Trees for Troops campaign took place Tuesday at Dull’s Christmas Tree farm in Thorntown.
“God blessed us with great weather for it,” said Tom Dull, co-owner of the tree farm. “It wasn’t hot, too cold, raining or snowing. And we had a bunch of people to help us send that spirt of Christmas to troops overseas.”
About 15 farms from around the state, representing the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association, donated the trees. They were brought to the farm where they were bound, boxed and boarded onto a FedEx delivery truck.
FexEx is a national sponsor of Trees for Troops, a program of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. The freight carrier will ship 17,000 trees to 75 U.S. military installations around the world. Since the beginning of the program 15 years ago, 225,000 trees have been donated.
Similar collections are being made at other Christmas tree farms across the country.
“It’s just such a good feeling. Why wouldn’t we want to do that?” said Dull, who with his wife Kerry have been part of the Trees for Troops campaign for 14 of its 15 years.