Chris Cate, Rosie Network Donate 200 Christmas Trees to Veterans

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego City Councilman Chris Cate and The Rosie Network will team up Saturday for the third year of providing Christmas trees to active duty and veteran military families for the holiday season.

Two hundred pre-registered military families will receive a free Christmas tree on Saturday thanks to donations from Walmart and San Diego Gas & Electric.

Two special recipients Cate emphasized will be Mithi Acierto, a 90- year-old World War II and Vietnam Veteran and Ednita Sapinoso, an U.S. Army medic paratrooper veteran.

San Diego is home to the largest concentration of military personnel in the nation. According to the San Diego Military Family Collaborative, there are more than 60,000 military-connected children in San Diego.

"One in every five residents in District 6 is connected to the military," Cate said. "Due to the generosity of Walmart and SDG&E, military families will have Christmas trees for the holiday season."

The Rosie Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening military families through entrepreneurial programs and support services, empowering military spouses, transitioning service members and veteran entrepreneurs toward financial stability and self-sufficiency.

—City News Service