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NYC Christmas tree stands giving free trees to those who need one. Just say this code word
By
Jessy Edwards
Published Dec 23, 2023
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Jessy Edwards/Gothamist
By
Jessy Edwards
Published Dec 23, 2023
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A New York City Christmas tree seller is giving away free trees to those who can't afford one in Manhattan and Brooklyn this year -- just say the code word: Solidarity.
Ellis Roberts is the founder of the New York State of Pine, a worker-owned Christmas tree cooperative. He said, each year, they save some of their best trees for people who are in need.
“If they come to our stand and use the word ‘solidarity’ as a code, then they get the best tree on the lot. And it's to help people that have had a tough year because the rents in New York are insane and the wages don't match,” he said.
The tree stands are on the Upper West Side at 86th St. and Amsterdam Ave. and in Park Slope at Underhill Ave. and St. John's Pl.
The giveaway is not charity, Roberts said, rather mutual aid for working class people who deserve the joy of having a Christmas tree.
“People come up real emotional sometimes because it's not a big gesture. A Christmas tree is a small thing, but it can mean a lot,” he said. “We hope that it's an example of mutual aid and solidarity that can be replicated by other people.”
Roberts said he sees a lot of parents and kids taking up the offer, plus a number of people who hadn't been working due to the writer’s strike. The “solidarity” offer stands year-round for anyone who remembers it, he said, but he put out the reminder Friday on local Facebook groups.
Member Z R. Cunningham said on Saturday morning they had given out about four trees for free.
On Friday, a mom came by with her two young children, who helped to translate. “She literally walked up phone in hand, you know, showing the Facebook post to me ‘cause she wasn't confident in her English,” they said.
It was “one of the best parts” of the tree selling season, Cunningham said. “It's spreading cheer.”
When Gothamist arrived at the Brooklyn stand Saturday morning, local couple Christina Hart and Kevin Karl were working out how to carry their free, "solidarity" tree home.
“I haven't been feeling very celebratory this Christmas because of the genocide in Gaza,” Hart said. “It hasn't made me want to celebrate, especially since Christmas was canceled for the city of Bethlehem.”
However, hearing about the offer on WNYC the couple had a last-minute change of heart – plus their cats love the trees.
“We're going to go home, maybe move some furniture around, and then let the cats wreak havoc,” Hart said.
Beverly Sloan lives down the street from the Park Slope tree stand and said she thought the giveaway was great – especially considering the high price tag on Christmas trees this season.
“Nobody needs a Christmas tree,” she said. “But it does make you feel like part of the community and part of the celebration.”
Another local resident, Andrew Flockhart, said he bought his Christmas tree from New York State of Pine the past two years and thought the giveaway was “awesome.” “I think it makes it so everybody can have a bit of Christmas spirit and it's a great way that they're giving back.”
Roberts, a self-described communist, started the cooperative five years ago after he said he got first-hand experience working for an exploitative tree company that paid its workers a low wage for tough work, while profiting off expensive trees.
At New York State of Pine, each member has the same status and decision-making power and they split profits evenly. Roberts also buys direct from farmers to cut out the middle-man brokers. This year, the cooperative bought about 2,200 hundred trees and has sold most of them. But there are more than 100 left to giveaway before Christmas.
The free trees are available to those who need them Dec. 23 and Dec. 24 from 9am - 9pm, or until they’re gone. Just say "solidarity."
Jessy Edwards
Jessy Edwards covers incarceration and public safety. Before working at Gothamist/WNYC, she covered daily and breaking news at NBC New York and Brooklyn news at BK Reader. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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