By Jean Janes
The Christmas holiday can be very expensive. As military pay is mainly dependent on rank and grade, a $25 or $30 tree can be a burden for some junior enlisted soldiers E-1 thorough E-5. This is why Trees for Troops, a program created by the Christmas Spirit Foundation and assisted by FedEx, has selected to focus on the families of these soldiers by providing donated Christmas trees to the families of service members. Trees for Troops is giving these families some financial relief at a time when any relief is welcome.
The Christmas Spirit Foundation sponsors Trees for Troops nationwide, dispersing trees to service members across the country during the first week of December. The Foundation collects donated trees from various tree farms and then utilizes FedEx to bring the trees to the distribution centers. For Joint Base Lewis-McChord, that distribution location is the Northwest Adventure Center.
Laura Lad, the Northwest Adventure Center representative for Trees for Troops explains this year’s process in comparison with previous years. Rather than using a voucher system as in the past, this is now a first come, first serve arrangement. Lad describes how their representative will “take their name, take their ID card, make sure they’re E-1 through E-5 and then we turn around every couple hours and send feedback to our main office telling them this is how many trees we have, what’s going on, and this is how we’re doing it.”
This year, in the bitter cold of December 4, service members and their families began lining up their cars to accept a donated Christmas tree as early as 5:30 a.m., almost four hours before the Northwest Adventure Center gates open. The line nearly extends to the highway, underscoring the value of this program as so many are willing to wait in line for the chance of a tree. Thanks to the changes made this year, none leave empty handed.
Each tree is carefully tied to its respective vehicle by JBLM soldiers volunteering their time for this event. Some stand at the gate to manage the line as others direct vehicles forward to more waiting soldiers armed with twine and scissors. These organized, polite, and courteous volunteers keep the line moving very quickly once distribution begins. “We couldn’t do this without the support of the troops,” emphasizes Lad when reflecting on the importance of the volunteers.
Lad points out that even though the wait is long, the enormity of the crowd is encouraging. “We have a good turnout, it’s a good response. We want them to get their tree home, get it decorated for their families. I think this time it’s working out way better, and hopefully today, all the trees will be gone.” The priority is to get the trees to the families, and as long as they have the trees to give, the more the merrier.
A military spouse of an E-5 soldier, Alpha Arzate, is utilizing Trees for Troops for the first time. In her back seat, her 2-year-old daughter and a 4-month-old puppy wait patiently as soldiers secure the tree. Regardless of the wait, Alpha expresses gratitude for this program, explaining, “I think it’s a great thing. You know, a lot of people start out getting paid so much, so it’s kind of harder for them to get a tree so this is really great for them to donate. It’s awesome.”
Sandra Brown, also a military wife, receives her tree and expresses her appreciation: “It’s a really great thing they do for the soldiers. This time of year, it gets really tough. Some of us are dealing with husbands that are away and things like that.” This being her second year receiving a tree through Trees for Troops, the kindness of this program hits home:. “The little bit of generosity makes a big difference. Makes you feel like you’re not doing it all for nothing,” says Brown.
On December 4, over 600 trees are provided to families, and by the end of the following day, the total reaches an astounding 800. Rachael Brooks, another representative for the Northwest Adventure Center, says she and her co-workers were “shocked by such a large turn-out” and that this year, “people got there a lot quicker” and the trees were given out “a lot faster.”
Although Trees for Troops has passed out their trees this year, their kindness will not be forgotten. As families gather to celebrate the pleasure of being together, the tree so kindly donated, delivered, and provided will sit center stage as a cheerful symbol of evergreen generosity and service.
