'They Are The Heroes Of New York': Christmas Tree Home Delivery Company Giving Back To FDNY
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You can get just about anything delivered to your door in the Big Apple.
Even a Christmas tree.
Now, one business that's booming with orders is giving back, too, CBSN New York's Tara Jakeway reported Monday.
"No matter how significant or how well you may have it, always look to give back. That's the most important thing. That's what New York is about," said Harold DeLucia of NYC Trees.
That's the number one lesson DeLucia teaches his students at Columbia Secondary School in Harlem. But school teacher is just his day job. After the bell rings he heads to Mahopac up in Putnam County, to his tree farm.
"I saw people carrying trees on trains, people slugging trees home to their apartments in New York City and I thought to myself, there's a need for Christmas tree deliveries," DeLucia said.
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He started NYC Trees back in 2012 and today business is booming. This year, his company will deliver thousands of trees to customers in all five boroughs, many of them familiar faces.
"As we grow, we grow with the families. We've seen kids who are young waiting in their Santa hats for the tree to arrive and now they're like teenagers. It's really special," DeLucia said.
Just like St. Nick, this is DeLucia's busiest time of the year.
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And when his students spot those telltale signs it's that season, "They play Christmas music in the classes and stuff and they call me the 'Tree Santa,'" DeLucia said.
This year, Tree Santa has made a special addition to his list -- New York City's Bravest.
"They are the heroes of New York," he said of the members of the FDNY. "Above anyone else, they are going into buildings, they're saving lives on they are on the front lines for all of us."
Putting his own lesson plan into practice, he's giving back. So far, DeLucia has donated a dozen trees to the FDNY, but said he's just getting started. He plans to donate one of his trees to all of the more than 200 firehouses in the city.