The holiday season is a challenge for military families for a number of reasons. Being separated from loved ones is always difficult, and for some families, financial struggles make it hard to have the Christmas celebration they're dreaming of. However, a program known as Trees for Troops has been helping provide some holiday cheer to military families most in need.
The program, which is run by the Christmas Spirit Foundation, has been in operation since 2005. In the last six-plus years, the organization has provided more than 103,000 farm-grown trees to troops and their families all over the world.
Among those who have contributed to the program are Maggie and Joe Keris, who run an Allentown, Pennsylvania, tree farm. They have been longtime supporters of Trees for Troops, according to the Times of Trenton.
"We just feel like it's our way to give back to people in the military," Maggie told the newspaper.
Trees for Troops has been successful so far this year, officials say. The program has donated about 18,000 trees to families on 62 different military bases.