Landsdale, PA – Today at one of four Pennsylvania Trees for Troops donation sites, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Brig. Gen. Mark A. Goodwill, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs director of joint staff encouraged Pennsylvanians to donate Christmas trees to brighten the holidays of active-duty military and their families.
The cabinet members joined servicemen loading trucks with donated trees at Bustard’s Christmas Trees in Landsdale, Montgomery County for delivery to deserving families.
“As you shop for a fresh-cut Pennsylvania tree this season, we hope you’ll remember Pennsylvania’s servicemen and women and donate a tree for their family celebrations,” said Sec. Redding. “This weekend, we invite you to show gratitude to servicemembers and their families by making their holidays brighter.”
Trees for Troops is a national program that provides free, farm-grown Christmas trees and personal greetings to armed forces members and their families each holiday season through donations, sponsorships, grants, and the work of volunteers. Since 2005, Trees for Troops has provided more than 309,644 Christmas trees to military families and troops in the United States and overseas.
Tree shoppers can donate a fresh-cut tree at one of four Pennsylvania locations below or donate on their websites before Monday, December 9, 2024:
334 Carlisle Avenue, York, PA 17404
1910 Mahoning Dr. East, Lehighton, PA 18235
2210 Bustard Rd., Landsdale PA 19446
1121 Bethlehem Pike, Spring House, PA 19477
“Thank you to the Shapiro Administration and the PA Department of Agriculture for supporting the Trees for Troops program and providing this thoughtful support to service members and their families during the holiday season,” said Brig. Gen. John Pippy, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general and head of the DMVA. “A Christmas tree is more than a symbol of the holidays, it’s a way to spread cheer and invoke the holiday spirit. With thousands of Pennsylvania service members deployed throughout the world and stateside, this gesture of giving is exactly what they need to stay connected to family, tradition, and home during the holidays.”
Bustard’s Christmas Trees is a family business providing quality trees and greenery in Montgomery County since 1929. Their trees and wreaths have won state and national awards, including the 2024 National Christmas Tree Association’s Reserve Grand Champion, a distinction won after qualifying for the national competition by winning 2024 Pennsylvania Grand Champion at the PA Farm Show, Pennsylvania’s State Fair®. The distinction wins Bustard’s the honor of having a tree from their farm grace the Vice President’s Residence during the 2024 Christmas season. In 2015, their National Grand Champion tree was displayed by President Barack Obama in the White House Blue Room.
“We are proud to support our military and their families,” Bustard’s Christmas Trees Partner Jay Bustard said. “They are always there for us.”
Trees for Troops program is part of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, a nonprofit branch of the National Christmas Tree Association, which represents hundreds of active member farms, 38 state and regional associations, and more than 4,000 affiliated businesses that grow and sell Christmas trees or provide related supplies and services.
Note: Photos and broadcast quality video of the event will be available at pacast.com.
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