The second week of November, troops and groups gather at Pioneer Trails Tree Farm in Poland to continue a tradition of sending a little bit of home to our U.S. military troops serving overseas.

Owner Mary Jan Perdulla has taken part for 22 years. And this year, she is donating ten trees as part of operation Evergreen. The Ohio Christmas Tree Association of Ohio has done this for 24 years. Perdulla said, "We're just one part of a bigger group. They'll be growers all over the state of Ohio cutting trees this weekend. Our hopes are to have over 100 trees to be sent over to the military personnel. We must mail them soon in order for them to get there in time to be up around Thanksgiving through Christmas."

Students from Western Reserve, and other local schools, along with groups, and troops made boxes of ornaments and wrote letters.

Girls from Poland and Boardman who are members of Girl Scout Troop 80170 hopped on a wagon along with boys from Trail Life Troop 1412 to find the trees, then cut them with a hand saw. 

Trail Life Troop 1412 Coordinator Lucas Bennett said, "This is part of civic duty, and we have a number of veterans who are troop coordinators and stuff, so it's something that is close to our hearts."

Afterward, the kids chopped the trees down, put them in a sled and pulled them up to be loaded on a flatbed truck. Then they were taken to a barn, placed on a machine to shake off loose pine needles. Them, the trees were pulled through a machine to compress the branches."

Perdulla added, "From here the trees will be taken to Reynoldsburg, Ohio where they'll be inspected by the Department of Agriculture, and they will be sent to Kuwait. After they get there, the military will send them to recreational centers where more men and women can enjoy them. It costs $150.00 to send a tree overseas there. We need help from the public to send the trees to them. You can donate by finding the go fund me site set up by the Ohio Christmas Tree Association" The page for donations is called," Operation Evergreen."