Over the years, Holiday fundraising has become a major source of funding for schools, churches, and all varieties of not-for-profits. Now, two local Companies team up to make that task easier and more profitable.
The lingering shortage of Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest has made it almost impossible to get trees for organizations who once sold them as fundraisers. Prices continue to increase every year and buying anything less than a full truck-load (500-700 trees) is difficult. But fortunately, there is no such shortage of wreaths and garland.
This year PATCHEN California’s two well-known Christmas tree farms in the Santa Cruz Mountains, teams up with the Old Summit Forest Products, the Christmas tree & wreath wholesaler to help with Holiday fundraisers in the Bay Area. Together they offer a variety of programs, ranging from simple retail rebates to full-blown wreath and garland presale projects, employing their over 50 years experience in the industry. Nonprofit groups can expect to generate from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, depending on the program they choose and how much effort they are willing to invest.
The most popular plan involves pre-selling wreaths and garland, beginning a month or more in advance, then delivering those items fresh to each customer’s doorstep around Thanksgiving. Jim Beck, owner of PATCHEN says, “many folks already have a Christmas tree from Home Depot or they pull the FAKE one out of the attic, but everyone loves the aroma of a fresh wreath – maybe two or three.”
Beck says, “we help train the volunteers to do the selling, and we donate a share of the products to their local organization, with the promise that they will be distributed to families in need. We also like to get kids involved in the selling and distribution efforts because they learn about doing business and helping people.”
PATCHEN is not a stranger to helping kids. Since the late 1990’s they have partnered with local Real Estate firms to host literally thousands of elementary school kids from the local area for an outing on the farm. There is plenty of cookies and milk. The kids cut down trees and plant trees in pots to take home. Santa comes with candy canes and the kids sing for him. When the buses load up for the trip back to school, trucks full of trees donated by PATCHEN go with them to the school for families that otherwise would be without.