Trees for Troops – Free Christmas Trees for Eligible Military Families

The Trees for Troops program provides free Christmas trees to eligible military members and their families. Learn more about this non-profit organization.
Advertising Disclosure.

Advertiser Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone. This article may contain links from our advertisers. For more information, please see our Advertising Policy.

The Military Wallet has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Military Wallet and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on The Military Wallet are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear, but does not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations. The Military Wallet does not include all card companies or all available card offers.

Trees for TroopsU.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Denise M. Jenson

When my husband was deployed to Afghanistan, he often mentioned how depressingly sandy and brown it was there. He dreamed of seeing anything green and alive that would remind him of home.

Imagine the impact on his unit when they received a live Christmas tree from America at their forward operating base. With a live tree, they could touch and see and smell a piece of home. Those Marines decorated their tree and smiled whenever they saw it. It lifted their spirits in a way that very few things can when you are deployed at Christmastime.

Trees for Troops: Bringing Christmas Cheer to Military Members and Families

How do you get a living Christmas tree from America to our troops overseas? It’s not Christmas magic. It’s a program called Trees for Troops. This nonprofit organization works with local farmers and numerous donors to bring the Christmas spirit to military families.

Since 2005, FedEx has partnered with the Christmas Spirit Foundation to ship the trees to service members deployed overseas or to their families living at military bases around the country.

Yes, military families can benefit too! My family has enjoyed the benefits of this wonderful program. When my husband was deployed over Christmastime, we weren’t able to go to a tree farm together and pick out a tree – one of our holiday traditions

I wasn’t sure I would be able to load a tree onto our van by myself. In addition, I was disappointed to learn that trees are close to $100 in the expensive area where we were stationed. We couldn’t afford a fake tree, and with the cost of Christmas gifts, I wasn’t even sure we could buy a real one.

Thankfully, Trees for Troops came to the rescue and saved our deployment Christmas. They delivered an enormous quantity of free trees to our military base. All we had to do was drive to the delivery spot and claim one. A team of volunteers was there, ready to help each family load their tree and secure it to their car.

It was amazing to think about how many people donated time or money to bring us our tree, from the farmers to the volunteers, FedEx and anyone who made a donation to the organization. As a result of their efforts, my kids had a real Christmas tree, and our house was filled with the Christmas spirit.

Trees for Troops Weekend: Dec. 3 – 5, 2022

Trees for Troops weekend is usually held the first weekend of December. That will be Dec. 3-5, 2022. Keep in mind that some locations may have an alternate date. Contact your local MWR office for more information.

Trees for Troops has impacted many families and individuals. Since 2005, the organization has collected and donated over 262,265 trees for military families. FedEx has logged over 653,400 miles for this charity in the United States alone. They deliver the Christmas trees to 65 military bases, either in the U.S. or overseas.

Trees for Troops weekend is the first weekend of December. On these dates, collection sites around the country use trailers provided by FedEx to gather trees and donations.

Thousands of volunteers and many generous donations make this effort possible. In 2018, 16,599 farm-grown Christmas trees were donated by roughly 450 Christmas tree growers, retailers and their customers in 25 states.

Trees are then donated to military troops and their families at military installations on the first and second weekends of December.

Trees for Troops Eligibility

If you are a military family or service member who wants to receive a free Christmas tree, you can learn more from your base Family Readiness Program or from the Christmas Spirit Foundation website. The Christmas Spirit Foundation publishes a list of bases they work with, but they don’t set the eligibility requirements. They work with each base to deliver the trees, but leave it up to the bases to determine how they will distribute them.

The main point of contact should be your Family Readiness Program – Airman and Family Readiness Center, Army Community Services, Marine Corps Community Services, Fleet and Family Readiness Center, Coast Guard Work-Life Office, Military Service Family Center or similar program for military members.

Each base can create its own distribution criteria, which is often based on need, rank, family members of deployed service members or even a first-come-first-served basis. It’s important to contact your base POC for specific details for your location.

2022 Participating Trees for Troops Locations:

Here are the participating locations and dates for 2021.

Note: Most locations are participating in the Trees for Troops Weekend, Dec. 3 – 5, 2021. Contact your local MWR Office for more details.

Free Christmas Trees at Air Force Bases

  • Davis-Monthan AFB – AZ
  • Luke AFB – AZ
  • March ARB – CA
  • Homestead ARB – FL
  • MacDill AFB – FL
  • Scott AFB – IL
  • Seymour Johnson AFB – NC
  • Cannon AFB – NM
  • Holloman AFB – NM
  • Kirtland AFB – NM
  • Nellis AFB – NV
  • JB Charleston – SC
  • Goodfellow AFB – TX
  • JBSA Sam Houston – TX
  • JB Langely-Eustis – VA
  • Fairchild AFB – WA

Free Christmas Trees at Army Posts

  • Fort Rucker – AL
  • Fort Huachuca – AZ
  • U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground – AZ
  • Fort Hunter Liggett – CA
  • Fort Irwin – CA
  • Fort Carson – CO
  • Fort Benning – GA
  • Fort Gordon – GA
  • Fort Stewart – GA
  • Hunter Army Air Field – GA
  • Rock Island Arsenal – IL
  • Fort Leavenworth – KS
  • Fort Riley – KS
  • Fort Campbell – KY
  • Fort Knox – KY
  • Fort Polk – LA
  • Fort Leonard Wood – MO
  • Fort Bragg – NC
  • West Point – NY
  • Fort Drum – NY
  • Fort Sill – OK
  • Fort Bliss – TX
  • Fort Hood – TX
  • JB Lewis-McChord – WA
  • Fort McCoy – WI

Free Christmas Trees at Coast Guard Bases

  • Sector San Francisco – CA
  • Sector Jacksonville – FL
  • Pay and Personnel Center – KS
  • Sector New Orleans – LA
  • Sector Detroit – MI
  • Sector North Carolina – NC
  • Sector New York – NY
  • Sector Columbia River – OR
  • Station Houston – TX
  • USCG Base Portsmouth – VA
  • BBK Bangor – WA

Free Christmas Trees at Marine Corps Bases

  • MCAS YUMA – AZ
  • MCAGCC Twentynine Palms – CA
  • MCLB – Barstow – CA
  • Camp Pendleton – CA
  • MCAS Miramar – CA
  • MCRD San Diego – CA
  • Camp Lejeune – New River – NC
  • MCAS Cherry Point – NC
  • MCB Quantico – VA

Free Christmas Trees At Navy Bases

  • NAS Lemoore – CA
  • NAWS China Lake – CA
  • Naval Base Ventura County – CA
  • Naval Submarine Base New London – CT
  • NAS Jacksonville – FL
  • NS Mayport – FL
  • NOTU Cape Canaveral – FL
  • NAS Pensacola – FL
  • NAS Whiting Field – FL
  • NAS Key West – FL
  • NSA Panama City – FL
  • Naval Station Great Lakes – IL
  • NAS JRB New Orleans – LA
  • NAS Meridian – MS
  • NCBC Gulfport – MS
  • Naval Weapons Station Earle – NJ
  • NSA Mid-South – TN
  • NAS Corpus Christi – TX
  • NAS Kingsville – TX
  • NASJRB Fort Worth – TX
  • JEB Little Creek-Fort Story – VA
  • NWS Yorktown – VA
  • NB Kitsap-Bangor – WA

Questions about your base? Please contact your local MWR office for more information. They will have the most accurate and up-to-date information, including times, locations and eligibility.

How You Can Help the Trees for Troops Program

If you want to make a donation or get involved, here are some ways you can help out:

  • From the Trees for Troops website, buy a tree or make a tax-deductible donation toward the One Thousand Trees Campaign. Just $40 will send a tree to a deployed unit or a military family.
  • If you are a federal employee, select #12283 in the combined federal campaign.
  • Visit a participating farm during Trees for Troops weekend to volunteer or donate. There is a list of participating locations on the Trees for Troops website.
  • When you buy your own family’s tree, ask if your vendor is involved in the Trees for Troops program. They may accept donations on the spot.
  • If you are employed, ask if your company will match your contribution, since it is to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
  • Finally, follow Trees for Troops on social media, and share their posts so more people can learn about this program!

Since Trees for Troops is a program that can benefit both service members deployed overseas and military families stationed stateside, it is important to spread the word and let others know about this resource.


About Post Author

Get Instant Access
FREE Weekly Updates! Enter your information to join our mailing list.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave A Comment:

    Comments:

    About the comments on this site:

    These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

  1. Anne Siminski says

    Good Day

    I would like information with regard to sending a tree to my son deployed overseas . I recall sending him a tree in 2015, however, I do. It remember how I went about it. It was a live tree with stand and went sent decorations made by local students

    Please let me know if you can assist me with the process

    Thank you

  2. Barbara Goode says

    Hello,
    Are there any military camps or facilities in central New York that participate in Trees for Troops? Our organization would like to make a donation to this very worthy cause but we must abide by certain selection criteria. One of the criteria is that the organization must benefit military families of central New York. Please confirm or deny.

    Your timely response would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you,
    Barbara

    • Rick Dungey says

      Ft. Drum …does that meet the criteria? They are getting trees. The other 2 NY state bases getting trees are West Point and the Reserve Center in New Windsor.

  3. Deanna B Harrison says

    Our club would like to raise money for the Christmas tree program.
    Would you please send me information such as where to donate and when.

    Thank you

The Military Wallet is a property of Three Creeks Media. Neither The Military Wallet nor Three Creeks Media are associated with or endorsed by the U.S. Departments of Defense or Veterans Affairs. The content on The Military Wallet is produced by Three Creeks Media, its partners, affiliates and contractors, any opinions or statements on The Military Wallet should not be attributed to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the Dept. of Defense or any governmental entity. If you have questions about Veteran programs offered through or by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, please visit their website at va.gov. The content offered on The Military Wallet is for general informational purposes only and may not be relevant to any consumer’s specific situation, this content should not be construed as legal or financial advice. If you have questions of a specific nature consider consulting a financial professional, accountant or attorney to discuss. References to third-party products, rates and offers may change without notice.

Advertising Notice: The Military Wallet and Three Creeks Media, its parent and affiliate companies, may receive compensation through advertising placements on The Military Wallet; For any rankings or lists on this site, The Military Wallet may receive compensation from the companies being ranked and this compensation may affect how, where and in what order products and companies appear in the rankings and lists. If a ranking or list has a company noted to be a “partner” the indicated company is a corporate affiliate of The Military Wallet. No tables, rankings or lists are fully comprehensive and do not include all companies or available products.

Editorial Disclosure: Editorial content on The Military Wallet may include opinions. Any opinions are those of the author alone, and not those of an advertiser to the site nor of  The Military Wallet.