Members of the armed forces have a lot to think about around the holidays.

That’s why tree farms like Yenser’s in Lehighton support the Trees for Troops program.

Yenser’s kicked off the annual Trees for Troops weekend Friday morning. Customers who visit the farm this weekend will be able to buy a tree for a military family, and lend their message of support.

“It’s an overwhelming feeling, completely humbling to realize how many people truly care, and realize the depth of what our military does for us,” said Jan Wentz, Yenser’s co-owner.

Friday’s kickoff featured a visit from Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, as well as a host of local veterans, National Guardsmen, and JROTC Cadets from Panther Valley High School.

Redding said that the people who supported Trees for Troops were bringing the Christmas spirit to troops who are giving up their holiday to protect our freedom.

“There’s something very special about a real tree during the season, and today we get a chance to extend what we enjoy as part of our tradition to the troops around the world,” he said.

Lt. Col. Michael Siriani of the Pennsylvania National Guard said that a natural-cut Christmas tree can bring the feeling of the holidays to a soldier no matter where they are deployed.

“They can touch see and smell a little piece of home,” he said. “It lifts their spirits during times of deployment the way only few things can.”

Members of Siriani’s unit, the 213th Regional Support Group, loaded trees onto a FedEx truck to be distributed to U.S. troops.

Attached to each tree was a message from one of the many local groups who raised money to help the program.

Yenser’s recognized each of the groups that helped raise money prior to Friday’s kick off event. They included: VFW Post 6708, McAdoo; Legion Post 123, Lansford; Lehighton UVO; L.B. Morris Elementary; Shull-David Elementary; Mahoning Elementary; Franklin Elementary; Lehighton High School National Honor Society; St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mahoning; St. Joseph the Worker of Orefield; and Kings College Athletic Training Club. Carbon County Commissioner Wayne Nothstein challenged the children in attendance to think about Christmas, then think about the soldiers who can not enjoy that.

“Think about the service men and women throughout the world, many of them away from home for the first time in their lives. It is a really lonely experience,” he said.

“We hope and pray you’ll never have to be deployed for any combat missions.”

FedEx sponsors the program and ships the trees. The initiative was started by the National Christmas Tree Association in 2005. Since then, they’ve shipped nearly 200,000 fresh Christmas trees to soldiers and military families.

Yenser’s has set the goal of shipping out 700 trees this year. Last year, they managed to fill two trucks. This year they’re hoping for a third.

“We enjoy participating every year and rallying the community for a really good cause,” Jan Wentz said.

See photo gallery from this event.