NY National Guard volunteers join veterans for Trees for Troops loading

Media Advisory

Latham, NY (11/29/2021) — More than 15 volunteers from the New York Army and Air National Guard join with Capital District area veterans at Ellms Tree Farm in Ballston Spa, N.Y. on November 29, 2021 to help load about 125 Christmas trees being donated and sent to military bases around the country to support troops and military families this holiday season.

This marks the 17th 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 125 Christmas Trees on Fed Ex trucks for the "Trees for Troops" Program

WHEN: 9 a.m. Monday, November 29.

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 17th season that Trees for Troops will be loaded at Ellms Tree Farm.

Over the past 16 years, the program has delivered a total of 262,265 real trees. More than 16,000 trees were donated in 2020.

In 2021, trees will be delivered to 77 military bases, including Fort Drum and the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in New York.

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.

Fresh cut Christmas trees are gathered at farm and retail lots before being picked up by Trees for Troops partners, FedEx Freight, and routed through distribution centers for delivery to bases.

Once trees arrive at a base and are unloaded, each base determines how/when to distribute the trees to their personnel.

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 deploy over the holidays every year in support of Operation Deep Freeze, the National Science Foundation support to research in Antarctica. Other members of the New York Army National Guard are deployed to Kuwait in support of operations in the Middle East, including the 501st Ordnance Battalion, based in Scotia.

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

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