Two local Christmas tree growers donate trees to soldiers and
their families
Nothing says Christmas more than a Christmas tree.
With that thought in mind, local Christmas tree farmers John
Bourdet of Hollister and Paul Battaglia of San Martin, donated more
than 60 of their trees worth more than $3,000 per farm to the Trees
for Troops program.
Nothing says Christmas more than a Christmas tree.
With that thought in mind, local Christmas tree farmers John Bourdet of Hollister and Paul Battaglia of San Martin, donated more than 60 of their trees worth more than $3,000 per farm to the Trees for Troops program.
Trees for Troops is aimed at bringing a little holiday joy into the lives of the enlisted men and women serving in the military, by providing them and their families with Christmas trees. Both Battaglia and Bourdet said that they were pleased to be able to help a worthy cause that was going to help boost soldiers’ morale.
“I wanted to do something to help the troops who are fighting for liberty and freedom and this was something I could do,” said Bourdet, explaining why he got involved.
Battaglia had similar feelings. “We like to do our part for the troops. Bringing Christmas to them was important.”
Members of the National Christmas Tree Association and 17 additional state and regional Christmas Tree Associations donated Christmas trees to troops stationed here and abroad.
The local Christmas tree farmers donated trees free of charge and FedEx shipped the trees to locations around the globe free of charge.
Bourdet’s Tree Farm in Hollister donated 30 trees to the organization after he heard about the program through the National Christmas Tree Association. His trees were transported to in San Martin on Nov. 28 and all the trees were picked up by FedEx a couple of days later.
More than 3,500 trees – with a retail value of $135,000 – will be donated to five military bases in the United States and overseas. The trees collected in this area will be sent to Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base near San Diego.
The National Christmas Tree Association has a separate nonprofit branch – the Christmas Spirit Foundation – aimed at advancing the Christmas spirit for children, families and the environment.
Battaglia Ranch is donating 32 trees, and Battaglia said that 150 trees were collected from this region. Volunteers started early Wednesday morning loading trees into the FedEx freighters and it was expected that the trees would be delivered sometime early next week.
The trees give troops a good boost in morale and offer a holiday pick-me-up during a possibly otherwise dreary time, organization officials said.
