PARSIPPANY — The holiday season can be difficult for military families. For the third year, Cerbo’s Greenhouse and Garden Center, participated in “Trees for Troops.”
Many Parsippany volunteers gathered at Cerbo’s Parsippany Greenhouse and Garden Center to support the third annual Trees for Troops Christmas tree donation drive.
Residents in small groups unloaded trees, tagged them with holiday wishes, and carefully loaded them into FedEx shipping trucks, to be delivered to military families at Fort Stewart Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia and Fort Bragg, in North Carolina.
“Our first year we had 115 trees donated, last year we got around 300, this year we’ve got a hard count of 500 trees we’re donating,” said Tyler Cerbo, standing along truckloads of carefully wrapped pine trees ready to be unveiled by military families. “This is something the community has been so engaged in and willing to support. People are definitely looking for a feel good at the end of this year, and helping our military and their families is something I think everybody wants to be a part of.”
“The Cerbo family is graciously supporting the “Trees for Troops” effort again this year, and I’m delighted to be joining them as they prepare freshly cut Christmas trees for delivery to a base in Texas this year,” Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce said.
The Trees for Troops program is a nationwide event that donates thousands of farm-grown Christmas trees to military bases all over the country. Donors are provided a card to offer well wishes to the recipient, which is tied to the tree and placed on the trucks to be hauled away to military bases.
“When the Cerbo family asked me to get involved with this three years ago, I was reminded of my father, who was in the military and stationed in Germany, who had brought along his Bing Crosby ‘White Christmas’ record with him, to remind him of the Christmas traditions he missed while overseas,” said Mayor Soriano. “This is personal, not just for me but for the people here volunteering. We respect the men and women who wear the uniform, and protect this country at home and abroad. What a great way to kick off our holiday season.”
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill said “It was great to be in Parsippany yesterday to help load trucks for Trees for Troops with Mayor Soriano. I know how tough it can be to serve overseas during the holidays away from friends and loved ones. Thanks to the work of Tyler Cerbo, the Cerbo family, and the Morris County Chamber, our community is helping to send some holiday cheer to our service members and their families.”
Trees for Troops began in 2005 and has delivered more than 225,000 Christmas trees to military families in the US and to troops stationed overseas. The act may seem small, but for those serving, it can mean everything. Nationwide, the Trees for Troops program delivers close to 20,000 trees to active duty military members and their families at over 75 bases in the U.S. and overseas each year.
Tree farms in about 20 states have donated trees to brighten a military family’s holidays. Many individuals have donated to Trees for Troops as well, getting the organization to its grand total of 225,319 free trees over the past 15 years. All those trees are then delivered to the bases with the help of in-kind work from FedEx, whose volunteers coordinate all deliveries.
Cerbo’s Greenhouse and Garden Center is Parsippany’s oldest business – even older than the town itself! The original deed was completed on a piece of parchment paper and consisted of 26 acres much of which is now under Route 80.
If people still want to donate, Cerbo’s notes that donations can still be made.
Cerbo’s Greenhouse and Garden Center is located at 440 Littleton Road. For more information call (973) 334-2623 or click here.
