Volunteers gather in cold temperatures to clean National Cemetery of the Alleghenies

CECIL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A group of volunteers gathered in the cold weather on Saturday to honor veterans buried in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.

The volunteers went out to the cemetery at 8 a.m. to begin cleaning up holiday wreaths.

The wreaths were placed at each gravestone and were donated by sponsors through Wreaths Across America. There were more than 16,000 in all.

“We have got high school baseball teams, we’ve got elderly. This is really a community effort. We could not do it without our village,” said Wreaths Across America Organizer Brynnly Schwartz.

This was the 10th year Susan Dillon has helped clean up the national cemetery after the holidays.

“My husband is a veteran. They’re all veterans. It’s something that we feel we should give back,” said Dillon.

31-25 volunteers showed up with walking sticks to collect as many holiday wreaths as possible to repurpose them.

The wreaths are gathered, placed in piles and then trucked to farms.

Organizers say the farmers give the wreaths to their animals.

“Another veteran had explained to me that the Battle of the Bulge took place in December and our soldiers fought the enemy in conditions far worse than this so the least we can do is come out for a few hours and help to clean up the cemetery,” Schwartz said.

Everyone who helped can receive a confirmation letter for community service.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2024 Cox Media Group