One of the most beloved fundraising events for Christian Action Ministries happens each November and December, when the organization's Festival of Trees is held.
The unique fundraiser, held at the Branson Landing, is a display of decorated Christmas trees, wreaths and a plethora of other holiday decor, all for sale to benefit the local food pantry provided by CAM.
This is the eighth year that the Festival of Trees has been open, allowing both local residents and visitors to select a fully decorated tree or other holiday pieces.
"We have approximately 35 trees this year," explained Festival of Trees volunteer Wauneta Howard. "We have a Grinch Tree. We have the Dogs of the Titanic. We have an Outfitters Tree with antlers and feathers. We have a Kansas City Chiefs tree this year for the first time. We have 12-foot tree, too. We have a Disney tree. And we have a lot of different wreaths, decor and signs."
All of the money from the sale of the trees and decor goes to Christian Action Ministries. Trees were donated by local individuals, organizations, businesses and churches.
"CAM operates a food pantry, and the proceeds from the store goes to buy food," explained Howard. "All of the people that are here working are volunteers, and everything in the store has been donated."
Currently, according to CAM, it costs $10 to feed a family of four. While CAM certainly appreciates donations of nonperishable food items, they can definitely put cash—such as monies raised from Festival of Trees—to good use, leveraging their buying power to get the maximum amount of needed food for their money.
According to their website, so far during 2024, CAM has provided assistance in 78,225 individual cases. They have provided two million meals and distributed 1.7 million pounds of food.
Festival of Trees is located at Suite 1205 at the Branson Landing, across from Famous Footwear and the Boot Barn.
Festival of Trees 2024 is open Sunday through Thursday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through December 7.
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