The Michigan Christmas Tree Association has been asked to coordinate donations of 1,000 Christmas trees for the national Trees for Troops program. NCTA and its charitable division, the Christmas Spirit Foundation, have committed to donate and deliver more than 15,000 Real Christmas Trees to families of military personnel serving overseas during the upcoming holiday season.
The Trees for Troops program has been a great success in previous years. The response from military personnel and families has been amazing and the positive press for the real Christmas tree industry is tremendous.
FedEx will be making pick-ups of 6-7′ baled trees from (location for 2011 to be determined).
The MCTA is still looking for farms to donate trees. If you are interested in supporting this outstanding cause, please download this form and fax it in.
To make arrangements for on-site interviews and photos during the scheduled pick up of trees, contact Marsha Gray at the Michigan Christmas Tree Association: (517) 545-9971 or (517) 242-1630 (cell).
For more information, please contact the MCTA office by fax (517) 545-4501 or phone (800-589-TREE).
Choose and Cut Tree Farm Member Program
Michigan’s Choose and Cut tree farms are encouraged to support the Christmas Spirit Foundation and Tree for Troops by displaying banners or posters as well as using collection buckets for customers contributions during the holiday season. These materials may be ordered from the Christmas Spirit Foundation. To order collections buckets, aprons, posters and banners, please click here. When you get to the webpage, you will need to click on “donate now.” At that point, you can enter a donation amount that you would like to make and move on to place the order or order the collection materials for the program.
Many of our Choose and Cut tree farm members have asked about donating trees for the 2008 Trees for Troops program. However, the challenge is that the trees must be inspected by the MDA for shipping and generally Choose and Cut trees are not inspected. MCTA wholesale tree farms members are donating the 1,000 trees pledged by our state.
If you are participating in the Trees for Troops program, you are encouraged to contact your local newspaper and other media outlets about your involvement in the program. MCTA will be working with media outlets around the state as well. Press release information as well as talking points are available at the Christmas Spirit Foundation. Simply add the “Materials for collecting consumer donations” to your order. There is no charge for this material.
