The Mahoning County Master Gardener Volunteers will continue its tradition of placing wreaths on the graves of veterans Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Canfield Cemetery. The organization, part of the OSU Extension Office, has been holding the annual ceremony (pictured) for 17 years. (Photo courtesy the OSU Extension Office)

CANFIELD –The Mahoning County Master Gardener Volunteers are doing their part to honor the ultimate sacrifice this Christmas with a Wreaths for Our Veterans ceremony to take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Canfield Cemetery.

The program is an initiative of the Mahoning County OSU Extension Office.

“The Mahoning County Master Gardener Volunteers have been able to place wreaths on veterans’ graves for the past 17 years,” OSU Extension Educator Alex Kennedy said in an emailed release. “These wreaths are meant to honor their sacrifices and teach our younger generations about the high cost of our freedoms.”

During the ceremony, a wreath will be placed upon a grave of a U.S. veteran at the cemetery located at 315 E. Main St. in Canfield. There will be a limited number of veteran remembrance wreaths honoring veterans with hopes of a continuation of the program in 2025.

To continue the long-standing tradition, the OSU extension office is requesting that the public “donate to this worthy cause.”

Donations are tax-deductible and can be in the form of cash, check, or credit card. Checks can be made payable to The Ohio State University with “wreaths” in the memo line or reference fund number GF313995 and mailed to The Ohio State University Extension Mahoning County c/o Veterans Wreaths, 490 S. Broad St. Canfield, OH 44406. To donate online by debit or credit card, visit go.osu.edu/wreathsforourveterans2024. For assistance with the online process call the extension office at 330-533-5538.

The Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program “provides intensive training in horticulture to interested Ohio residents, who then volunteer their time assisting with educational programs and activities for Ohio residents through their local OSU Extension county office.” According to OSU.edu.com, the Master Gardener Volunteer program in Ohio has existed since the late 1970s and has grown steadily. Although its initial start and growth was in the more urban counties, there are now more than 3,000 active Master Gardener Volunteers in more than 62 counties across the state. More information about state-level Master Gardener Volunteer programs and activities is available at mastergardener.osu.edu.