Christmas tree sales support students and local food shelves

Nov. 23, 2021  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Local residents browse the 2020 benefit Christmas tree sale at Wesley United Methodist Church. File photo by Gordon Miller

Local residents heading out soon for a Christmas tree may decide to cut their own at a nearby tree farm, pick one out at a nursery, or they may choose to simply visit a benefit tree sale that passes along proceeds to a worthy cause. 

Two such sales are taking place in the area this holiday season. 

Waterbury tree sale: 31 years helping those in need

The first delivery of Christmas trees for the benefit sale at Wesley United Methodist Church on South Main Street is expected to arrive in time for Thanksgiving.

According to Skip Flanders, an organizer of the annual event, proceeds from the sale will once again support the Waterbury Area Food Shelf, the Duxbury Elf Food Shelf, and the Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund. The trees this year are purchased from Fibonacci Acres, owned and operated by Mike and Amy Marshall-Canery in Waterbury, Flanders said. 

The sale marks its 31st year of the sale started in 1991 by Ed and Robin Lemery and their family in Waterbury Center after the death of their teenage son Jason that year in a car crash. Their gesture has become a tradition that has raised thousands of dollars for the organizations that help community members feed their families and manage financial emergencies.

The setup uses an on-your-honor system. Trees are marked with tags to indicate prices. Buyers are asked to leave payment in a lockbox at the church either in cash or checks made to the Waterbury Food Shelf, Flanders said.

Harwood tree sale benefits class of 2024

The annual Christmas tree sale to benefit Harwood Union High School’s sophomore class is set for Friday-Sunday, Dec. 3-5, at the Lareau Farm in Waitsfield.

Hours are Friday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until trees sell out. 

Trees are supplied by a Northeast  Kingdom grower and will be priced at $45 each, all sizes.

The fundraiser at American Flatbread has been happening for the past 18 years. It traditionally provides fundraising revenue for the sophomore class to use for class activities during its junior and senior years including prom, graduation, a class gift to the school upon graduation, and a senior class trip. 

The location is 46 Lareau Road, home of American Flatbread.