Volunteers placed Christmas wreaths on the graves of military veterans at St. Matthew’s Cemetery, Franklin Township Saturday as part of Wreaths Across America, a national organization that seeks to honor and remember those who served our nation.

“This is our first year,” coordinator Paula Hoffman said. “Everything went well. And we want to thank the members of the Lehighton High School National Honor Society who came out in this rainy weather to help us.”

Wreaths Across America was started by Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, in 1992. Due to a surplus of wreaths that year, he decided to take them to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and place them on the graves in one of the older sections for veterans whose graves were less attended than others. The movement caught on, and now local volunteers place wreaths on graves of veterans all across the country.

Later on Saturday, a ceremony was held at the Phifer Ice Dam Pavilion at the memorial, and a wreath was placed for each of the branches of the military. Paula Hoffman led the program, and members of the Lehighton United Veterans Organization provided the Color Guard and placed the wreaths on the memorial.