Free Trees For Marines
Peter Biello

WILMINGTON, NC (2008-12-10) A non-profit group heads to Camp Lejeune Marine Base today to hand out free Christmas trees to Marine families.

The Christmas Spirit Foundation plans to give Camp Lejeune Marines almost 800 trees as part of the Trees for Troops program.

The program accepts tree donations from growers all over the country.

Program coordinator Alyson Hall says thank-you notes from families who got the trees remind her of their significance.

"You'll hear things from, 'We didn't have the money for a Christmas tree this year,' to, 'We never had one because my husband's never been home,' to, 'This was something I did in my childhood that was great to pick up on again,'" Hall says. "It's just good to read those and it makes you feel really good."

Hall says the Christmas Spirit Foundation will give away more than 16,000 Christmas trees this year to families on 40 military bases across the country.

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Ellie