National Guard Troops, Veterans, Volunteer to Ship Trees for Troops for Holidays

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National Guard volunteers assist in the loading of donated Christmas trees at Ellms Tree Farm in Ballston Spa November 27, 2017.

LATHAM, NY (11/25/2018) (readMedia)-- Volunteers from the New York Army and Air National Guard join with Capital District area veterans at Ellms Tree Farm on Monday, November 26 to help load about 150 Christmas trees being donated and sent to military bases around the country to support troops and military families this holiday season.

This marks the 14th year of military members volunteering their time to assist in the loading of trees destined for fellow service members and their families around the country and around the world.

WHO: Soldiers and Airmen from the New York National Guard volunteer their time from work to assist the loadout of holiday trees at Ellms Tree Farm for Trees for Troops.

WHAT: Loading of about 150 Christmas Trees on Fed Ex trucks for the "Trees for Troops" Program

WHEN: 9 a.m. Monday, November 26.

WHERE: Ellms Family Tree Farm, 468 Charlton Road, Ballston Spa, N.Y., 12020

Coverage Opportunity:

Video and images of the volunteers loading trees into the FedEx truck. There will be opportunities to speak with Sally and Chip Ellms, local veterans and National Guard volunteers.

Additional Information:

This year marks the 14th season that Trees for Troops will be loaded at Ellms Tree Farm. Pickup begins nationwide on November 26th with delivery of trees to military installations in early December.

The Trees for Troops program was launched in 2005, and with the help of FedEx Corp., delivered more than 4,300 Christmas Trees to five U.S. military bases in its initial year, as well as an overseas shipment to the Middle East that year. More information is also available at www.TreesforTroops.org.

Volunteers from the National Guard have supported the loading of trees to mark their individual support of the program for fellow Soldiers and Airmen serving overseas.

Members of the Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing in Scotia are deployed over the holidays every year in support of Operation Deep Freeze, the National Science Foundation support to research in Antarctica. This holiday season, some 250 Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard are also deployed to either Afghanistan or Kuwait.

The military members and veterans are also expected to be joined by the Patriot Guard Riders, also volunteering to ship these Christmas Trees to military installations around the country.

Trees for Troops will achieve a milestone this year by reaching more than 200,000 trees delivered to service members and their families-covering every branch of the military at close to 65 bases in 17 countries. Each year, thousands of trees are donated by Christmas Tree growers and consumers. FedEx and its team members generously provide shipping to bases in the U.S. and overseas, through FedEx Express air operations and the FedEx Freight trucking network.

In 2017, Trees for Troops delivered 17,720 farm-grown Christmas Trees. Trees were donated by roughly 450 Christmas Tree growers, retailers and their customers in 23 states. The 2017 holiday season saw the program exceed 208,000 trees delivered since the program first began.

For more information about the program, contact Sally Ellms at 518-339-6333 or salgal7870@aol.com.