christmas tree by Tease 2 0 1 0
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, we often spend time making sure our loved ones have the latest gadget and doodad. Most times we gloss over those less fortunate. Well, James and Paul with Raise The Tree are offering up an opportunity to help some of Knoxville’s non-profits.
Knoxify: How did you all come up with the idea behind Raise The Tree?
James Trimble of Raise The Tree: Paul Dickenson and I co-founded Raise the Tree in 2010 with the purpose of “Delivering Christmas, and Supporting Communities.” We both love Christmas and we hate that so many people have stopped the tradition of using a REAL Christmas tree in their home. So we figured we would make it easy one folks by delivering it to their door, and by giving away 25% of our profits.
K: Are you looking to expand the number of non-profits receiving the benefits?
JT: We have 10 non-profits that we’ve partnered with this year. We might expand next year to 15 non-profits, but we’re not sure yet.
K: Are the trees local?
JT: Our trees come from Shore’s Nursery in Laurel Springs, NC, which is about 4 hours from here. We drive all the way there because they sell the BEST Fraser Firs in the world. Fraser Firs are the best kind of Christmas trees and the only place in the entire planet that they grow is in a small area of Western North Carolina. We pass about 20 different tree farms on the way to Shores, but we believe that they have the best.
K: How many trees did you ship last year? How are the numbers looking for this year?
JT: We delivered 70 trees last year and raised over $1,000 for charity. This year, we’re looking to sell 200 trees. We are well on our way!
Deliveries start this week on December 1st, and they will keep delivering until we run out of trees. Be sure to get your order in soon! Raise The Tree can be reached via their official site, or you can follow their progress on Twitter.
Comments 1
My family & I bought a Christmas tree for my sister in Knoxville through Raise the Tree last year. The service was great & the tree was wonderful. Plus the fact that we not only supported a local business, but were able to donate to a local charity even though we are from out-of-town could not be topped. I’ve been trying to find them to get another tree for my sister, but can not seem to locate them. Is Raise the Tree in business this year? If so, how may I get in touch with them?
Thank you for any help you can give!