By RANDALL NEWSOME
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
For the last few years, some of Indiana’s military families have gotten a special gift, ahead of the holiday season: A freshly cut Christmas tree.
The Avalanche Food Group, which owns the Twin Peaks restaurant, has been using their East 82nd Street parking lot to host a Christmas tree giveaway for veterans and their families. They have teamed up with Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that provides academic scholarships for the families of fallen or disabled military men and women.
This year the groups, along with a couple more community partners, provided 150 fresh-cut Christmas trees for Hoosier veterans.
“Giving and caring is still out there,” Kasmer said. “This costs no one anything, other than Home Depot, obviously with the generosity.”
Home Depot, one of the main partners in the project, contributed the trees, while volunteers from Folds of Honor and Twin Peaks helped load the families’ vehicles with the trees.
“For people to come, volunteer and help out, it doesn’t cost a thing.”
Ricky and Joe Rosa, brothers and founders of the Avalanche Food Group, talked to Randall Newsome about why they decided to give this gift to military families.
The event in Indianapolis was only the kickoff to this year’s event. They plan to give away 700 more trees to families of veterans in Texas, where the group is based.