FedEx delivers holiday trees to military families

by The City Wire staff ([email protected]) 115 views 

FedEx Corp. and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation again are joining together to deliver 17,000 Christmas Trees to service members and their families this holiday season.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Trees for Troops program, which brings together FedEx, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and tree farmers across America to deliver live Christmas trees to service members stationed across the U.S. and overseas.

During the busy weeks leading up to Christmas, FedEx will deliver the Christmas trees to more than 60 military bases.

"Delivering Christmas trees to our troops is one of our most treasured holiday traditions,” said Bill Logue, president and CEO, FedEx Freight. “We are proud to leverage our logistics network through this program to honor and give back to America’s servicemen and women.”

As part of the program, National Christmas Tree Association members around the country donate thousands of fresh trees to Trees for Troops through the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. Support Trees for Troops by donating to the program and/or purchasing fresh trees at one of more than 30 Christmas tree retail locations nationally during the official Trees for Troops weekend, Dec. 5-7. Donated trees will be added to the program’s planned deliveries to U.S. bases during 2014.

Trees for Troops will also send holiday greetings to service members this year with the Tag-a-Tree campaign. Tweet your message using the hashtag #TreesforTroops from Nov. 18 to 25, and your message may be selected for placement on a tag for one of the 17,000 Christmas trees going to troops across the country.

“Being involved with Trees for Troops is truly a gift that gives back,” said Nigel Manley, Christmas SPIRIT Foundation chairman. “It’s rewarding and meaningful to everyone involved, because it gives us the opportunity to say thank you to our troops, and help ensure military families have the kind of joyful, traditional Christmas memories that we would wish for America’s heroes.”

Since the Trees for Troops program launched in 2005, FedEx has shipped more than 139,000 real Christmas trees to service members and their families—covering every branch of the military at more than 60 bases in 17 countries.