CANASTOTA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A special gift on Monday from Central New York to Military Families around the country.
Wrapped, stacked, and ready for delivery.
“762 families getting a tree, a little joy for Christmas,” says Dewey Romangnoli, owner of Romangnoli’s Christmas Tree Farm in Canastota.
That joy was sent to military families more than 700 miles away in North Carolina.
“According to the driver it’s going to Camp Lejeune and it will be there probably by the end of the week,” says Romangnoli.
762 Christmas trees are being donated this holiday season. A Christmas delivery and tradition for Romangnoli’s Christmas Tree Farm in Canastota. The farm has been donating trees to military families across the U.S. for 15 years now.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s the least we can do for them. I mean these folks they make a lot of sacrifices both soldiers and their families,” says Romangnoli.
Donating trees through Trees For Troops isn’t only a tradition for Romangnoli’s Christmas Tree Farm but for volunteers as well. Some of those volunteers with intellectual disabilities lent a helping hand, loading up the FedEx truck on Monday with more than a hundred donated trees. Volunteers were also there from a Carpenters Union to help load up the truck.
“We started out with a small group. There was only about three or four or five of us and we’ve grown exponentially over the years as more donations have come in and there are more trees to load,” says Danielle Papelino, volunteer organizer.
If you didn’t get a chance to make a donation last week, you still can. Romangnoli’s Christmas Tree Farm will be accepting donations for the next few weeks. Those donations will then be sent to other tree farms across the U.S. participating in Trees For Troops. Trees cost $40.00 this year. Donations can be made by check or cash. Please send your donation through the mail or stop at the farm to drop it off.
Phone number: (315) 697-9498
Address: 8514 Oneida Valley Rd, Canastota, NY 13032