NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's about that time to buy a Christmas tree!
Jim McLeod, who runs 8 Santa's Trees lots in and around Nashville, says the majority of his trees are North Carolina-grown.
With several of their communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, he checked in with his fellow friends and farmers in the area.
"They're very resilient; they're very tough. They remind me a lot of the Nashville community when we've been through our challenges," he said.
While there was damage to some tree farms, McLeod says it hasn't impacted our supply, or prices, in Middle Tennessee — at least at his lot.
"The tree farming business has not been devastated. We have plenty of Christmas trees," explained McLeod. "But the community that supports that business has been impacted severely."
It's why McLeod is donating $20,000 to North Carolina charities to get them back on their feet.
"Christmas is a time of giving and it's not about what you get, it's about what you give," he said, encouraging anyone else who feels inclined, to check out the charitiesthey're targeting.
"I didn't know that when we stopped by, but honestly, I'm so excited that we picked this particular tree barn to stop at," said a customer, Hannah Gengenbach. "That's really, really cool, and I love that they're using this as a way to give back."
Learn more on the Santa's Trees website.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
With new technology comes new ways to help people. This story shows a great use of AI that is starting to be rolled out in Tennessee. This one can help those who may be blind, deaf or neurodiverse navigate the Tennessee State Library and Archives from an app on their smart phone.
-Lelan Statom
