Etobicoke man gives away free Christmas trees

Published Dec 12, 2018 • 2 minute read

Jessey Njau hauls a Christmas tree on Tuesday, December 11, 2018, in Etobicoke, Ontario. He gives the trees away to newcomers who may not be able to afford one. (Veronica Henri/Toronto Sun)

Jessey Njau is spreading his own version of holiday cheer by giving out free Christmas trees.

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This is the third year Njau, a 42-year-old father of two, has offered the trees, stacked in front of his Etobicoke home.

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An urban farmer, he shells out $200 each year — or whatever expendable income he can afford — to purchase trees from Zawati Farm, a local farm his friend runs about 80 km. northwest of Toronto.

“Initially, I did it because when I switched from IT to urban farming, I saw there was a fair bit of generosity within the farming community and that really made me rethink why I do the things I do and made me want to share whatever resources I have,” he said.

“Trees was a good one.”

Jessey Njau has been giving away Christmas trees for the past three years. As an urban farmer, he says he wants to give back to his community by providing free trees — purchased from a farm near Erin, Ont., 82 km. northwest of Toronto — to newcomers who may not be otherwise able to afford one. Photo by Imgur

He began to hear stories from newcomers to the city who never had a Christmas tree before and who couldn’t afford one.

“It just became a thing I wanted to do for people every year,” he said.

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In years past, he gave up to around 40 trees, but this year he received 20. He began giving them away on Monday, advertising the offer on Reddit Toronto for people to come to his Tandridge Cres. home for pick-up — in the Albion Rd. and Hwy. 401 area.

Jessey Njau with Christmas trees he will give away, on December 11, 2018, in Etobicoke. (Veronica Henri/Toronto Sun)

“They’ve been going — I had people coming last night, even,” he laughed.

“Even when I was in bed, I had a text telling me, ‘We’re outside.'”

Over the years, giving out trees has become a family affair. His kids — 10 and seven — even help with signs.

“They think I’m crazy and they love it,” said Njau.

“The really neat stories I get to hear are families who have very stretched budgets, financial difficulties who don’t have a job or have a new job. Families who have never had a tree before. I’m not doing it for any recognition, it’s my chance to shed some light some way — this is the language (of generosity) I understand.”

jyuen@postmedia.com

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