FedEx Delivers Holiday Cheer to U.S. Armed Services Members and Their Families

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation are joining together this holiday season to deliver real Christmas trees to thousands of military members and their families through the popular Trees for Troops program, now entering its sixth year.

“Many of these families have loved ones deployed overseas and times can be hard for them”
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, FedEx will deliver approximately 15,000 real Christmas trees to more than 50 military facilities in the United States and overseas as part of the 2010 Trees for Troops program.

"The Trees for Troops program allows us to give something back to the military men and women who give so much throughout the year to serve our country,” said Bill Logue, president and CEO, FedEx Freight. “The FedEx team is proud to continue delivering holiday cheer to military men, women and families."

On Wednesday, November 10, the initiative will begin in Columbus, Ohio, when FedEx Express picks up approximately 300 trees from the Ohio Christmas Tree Association’s Operation Evergreen at the Ohio Department of Agriculture Reynoldsburg campus. These trees will be delivered to service members stationed in Iraq via the FedEx Express hub in Indianapolis.

A second shipment of nearly 100 trees will depart from Indianapolis on Tuesday, November 30 for service members stationed in Bahrain, aboard vessels of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, and other locations.

Frank Williams, a FedEx Freight driver based at the company’s San Diego facility, has participated in recent years in the delivery of trees to military bases throughout Southern California as part of the program. As a Marine veteran formerly based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Williams takes great pride in doing something nice for deserving members of the military and their families. “Many of these families have loved ones deployed overseas and times can be hard for them,” said Williams. “I can tell you firsthand they truly appreciate these trees and are reminded that many people are thinking of them and wishing them all the best, especially during the holidays.” Williams will be one of the FedEx drivers delivering more than 800 Christmas trees to Camp Pendleton on Thursday, December 2.

Since its first year in 2005, the Trees for Troops program has quadrupled in size and donations. Program highlights include: