Volunteers lined up between the evergreens at Ellms Family Farm in Ballston Spa, New York, moving tree after tree toward a waiting FedEx truck—each one bound for a military family somewhere in the country.
The annual effort, powered this week by New York National Guard soldiers, airmen and community members in Ballston Spa, marked another season of Trees for Troops. Since 2005 the program has delivered more than 309,000 Christmas trees to service members.
The 150 donated trees loaded in Ballston Spa are part of the nationwide campaign that relies on New York’s network of farms and regional pickup sites, making the state one of the program’s most active contributors despite its smaller tree industry.
New York farmers help drive the program even though the state is not a major tree producer.
Rick Dungey, executive director of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, told Military.com the state’s growers “are super organized and dedicated to this program,” contributing from more than 40 farms and six pickup locations that handle collecting, netting and tagging every tree bound for a base.
“Chip and Sally Ellms are the perfect example of what makes this program work,” Dungey said.
‘Reminded of Home and Family’
At Ellms Family Farm, 14 growers combined their donations for this week’s shipment. Local students added handmade ornaments. Volunteers added handwritten notes.
And every year, according to owner Garth Ellms, troops return to share what those trees meant during deployments.
“Most of them say the same thing, how this reminded them of home and family,” Ellms told Military.com. “To help our troops enjoy that moment or memory is why we continue to do this.”
Ellms Family Farm has supported the program since its launch in 2005. The work is repetitive, physical and cold. Trees must be staged, sorted and loaded by hand. Volunteers must be coordinated. Tags must be checked. And yet, year after year, the farm signs up to do it again.
The same message comes back from service members who once stood far from home during December and now stop by the farm in person: the tree mattered.
A Delivery That Carries More Than Cargo
Shannon Davis, a spokesperson for FedEx, told Military.com the company views its role as more than transportation.
“For 21 years, FedEx Freight has been honored to carry more than just cargo alongside the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation— we carry a piece of home to the doorsteps of our nation’s military families,” Davis said. “Delivering these trees is our way of saying ‘thank you’ and helping light the holidays for service members and their loved ones.”
The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation says the program has provided more than 309,000 trees to service members and their families since its launch, making it one of the longest-running holiday support efforts serving the armed forces.
A Tradition with Growing Need
The program arrives as many military families face rising financial strain.
Rising housing costs, childcare shortages and food insecurity continue to put significant pressure on many military families as the holiday season approaches.
A Blue Star Families spokesperson told Military.com that “one in six active-duty families is food insecure, rising to one in four among junior enlisted households.” The holiday season, the spokesperson said, only heightens those challenges.
Service members deployed overseas often describe the emotional strain of missing holidays with their families and the comfort that small reminders of home can bring.
The New York National Guard noted the significance of the effort but did not provide a statement. Military.com also reached out to Fort Drum, West Point, the Coast Guard and the Department of Defense.
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