Visitors can scan the QR codes on the decorated trees on Standard St. and donate to the designed charity to vote for their favorite tree.
ELKIN — Local non-profits will benefit from a new tradition that began this holiday season with the Trim a Tree for Charity program in downtown Elkin. Organizers with Explore Elkin said they hope the event will become an annual one and continue to grow. This year, 20 Christmas trees were placed in the open field on Standard St. next to the Yadkin Valley Trails and Heritage Center. Area businesses sponsored a tree for $100 and decorated it. Each business then selected a charity for donations to go to.
Visitors can go walk through the lot with the Christmas trees, scan the QR code on each tree (it also lists the business sponsor and designated non-profit) and vote for their favorite tree by donating to that designated charity. Voting is open until Jan. 1. The tree with the most votes will receive an additional $250 donation to the selected charity from Explore Elkin.
“I think it is a fun way to welcome visitors to Elkin during the Christmas season while also helping non-profits in our community,” said Natalie Eidson with Explore Elkin. “We started with 20 this year, but I am hoping to grow to a larger display next year.
All of the trees were donated from Bottomley. Sponsoring businesses for the Trim a Tree program include: Prism, the Barn at Heritage Farm, Underdown Ball & Associates, G&B Energy, Sodexo, ACC Coatings, Elkin City Schools, Klondike Farm Horse Sanctuary, Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital, Yadkin Valley Home Health, Wake Forest Baptist Outpatient Imaging, Charles R. Briggs, Midtown Barber, Surrey Bank, Hugh Chatham Women’s Center, Riverview Holdings and Starmount Crossing Cinema.
Non-profits that will benefit from the tree trimming project include: Ebenezer’s Children’s Home, The Legacy Center, The ARK, The Children’s Center of Northwest NC, Yadkin Valley United Fund, Elkin Dog Park, Foothills Arts Council, Klondike Horse Farm Sanctuary, Habitat for Humanity, Positive Pink Power, Bridge of Unity, Lifelife Pregnancy Center, Tri County Christian Ministries, and Grace Clinic.