With the help of volunteers and staff at Stokoe Farms in Scottsville Friday morning, about 250 live Christmas trees were shipped to United States Army posts in the south to help active-duty service members and their families celebrate the holidays.
The Christmas tree initiative at Stokoe began 12 years ago, as part of the national Trees for Troops program, to show support and appreciation for military service.
“What says Christmas more than a real Christmas tree? The soft needles, the beautiful green foliage, the smell; just that nostalgia to bring you back to your childhood,” said Suzanne Stokoe, who is the sixth generation owner of the farm.
Bright and early, the group loaded a FedEx truck, which is transporting the donated trees from Stokoe Farms to the deserving soldiers.
All decked out in U.S. Navy camouflage gear, Mark Watts, who is a Senior Chief, returned for the eighth year to assist the group at Stokoe with the tree pick-up. He got involved after being deployed overseas in 2008. That year, he witnessed first-hand the effect of receiving a tree while being away from home.
“When the box is first torn open, before the tree is even taken out…it’s that smell,” said Watts, “Everyone who walks by will stop and look at the tree, and the first thing they do is pull some needles off, rub them and smell.”
Watts has been a member of the Navy for nearly three decades. He recalled the difficult transition of leaving his wife and three small children behind.
“You miss them. You miss that sense of home. You miss the tradition of Christmas tree day and putting the tree up,” Watts said.
FedEx has logged more than 573,000 ground miles in support of the program.
Since the inception of Trees for Troops, Christmas tree growers from across the U.S. have supported military families by providing more than 176,000 fresh cut Christmas trees.