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Back to the woods the Christmas trees go.

Trees for Tots in its fifth year. Register by Thursday.
20161228 Trees for Tots ro
Trees for Tots raised $40,000 last year for the Children's Foundation. It's on again. Rob O'Flanagan/GuelphToday

Back to the forest they go.

Evergreen trees that nobly and beautifully served their purpose as decorated Christmas trees throughout the festive season will once again be picked up and chipped up through the Children’s Foundation of Guelph-Wellington’s Trees for Tots program. For a small donation.  

All of those hundreds of trees will go through a number of wood-chippers at Ignatius Jesuit Centre, and will be used as bedding on the centre’s many kilometres of wooded trails, as mulch, and to help in environmental restoration projects.

Thursday, Dec. 29th is the last day to register for a program that will pick up your tree on your curbside for a minimum donation of $10. Visit www.childrensfoundation.org, scroll down and find the Trees for Tots registration page. The actual pickup happens on Saturday, Jan. 7.

This is the fifth year for the program, which swooped in to fill a gap after the City of Guelph announced it would no longer conduct Christmas tree pickup from residences.

Last year, Trees for Tots raised $40,000 for the Children’s Foundation. Some people donate much more than $10 for the service, seeing it as a way to support programs that help children and youth reach their full potential.

“It’s been growing every year,” said Kasia Rusiniak, the events manager with Children’s Foundation. “We do ask for a minimum donation of $10 per tree pickup, but we’ve seen people be very generous.”  

Tax receipts are offered for any donation over $25.

“When the city announced that the service was going to be cut from the city budget, the Children’s Foundation stepped in and offered this as a donation-for-service event,” Rusiniak added. “It’s gone swimmingly ever since. We have a lot of great community partners that we work with.”

Bins to the hold the trees, as well as a number of wood chippers, are donated by local companies to assist in the work. The program couldn’t happen without these partners, Rusiniak said.

“The trees are going back into nature, which is really nice,” she added. “Guelph is a really environmentally minded city, and we see Trees for Tots as a really good fit.”

Beyond the Children’s Foundation program, residents do have other options for the used Christmas trees. They can be brought to the city’s Waste Resource Innovation Centre at 110 Dunlop Drive, Gate 3. The drop off is free after Jan. 1.

A “bulky item” ticket can also be purchased for $32 dollars and a curbside pickup scheduled.

Funds raised through Trees for Tots goes to support Children’s Foundation programs, including Adopt-a-Family, Food & Friends, and Free to Play.


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Rob O'Flanagan

About the Author: Rob O'Flanagan

Rob O’Flanagan has been a newspaper reporter, photojournalist and columnist for over twenty years. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Award.
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