Charity concerned thousands of Fort Snelling graves will miss out on holiday tradition

The longstanding tradition of laying wreaths on headstones at Fort Snelling National Cemetery ahead of the holidays may be disrupted by a lack of donations this year.

According to the charity Senior Veterans, Inc. promoting the campaign, about 4,000 wreaths have been donated.

However, there are 260,000 Minnesota veterans buried at Fort Snelling and the organization is racing against a fast-approaching deadline.

Wednesday is the last day they can accept donations for this year’s wreaths. After that, orders are sent to Maine where they’re made and shipped back to Minnesota to be placed on gravestones on Dec. 18.

"It is heartbreaking, especially for families, to see gravestones without wreaths on Christmas morning," CEO and founder of Senior Veterans David Bolser said.

Wreaths cost $15 and are tax-deductible. If you’d like to purchase a wreath for the cemetery, click here.