Even in the heat of August, it’s not too early to think about the Christmas holidays – especially for folks coordinating the effort to coat Barrancas National Cemetery in wreaths this December.

The “Blanket Barrancas” campaign seeks to decorate gravesites at the national cemetery onboard Pensacola Naval Air Station during a special ceremony on Dec. 13.

“The military has always been and continues to be an integral part of the Pensacola community,” said volunteer Judie Zitzewitz. “This project provides an opportunity to bring together our military and civilian population in this area to honor those who served and their families.  The involvement of so many of the youth of this community gives them a better understanding of the fact that freedom is not free.”

The Barrancas project is part of the larger Wreaths Across America. That project began in 1992 at Arlington National Cemetery and has spread to locations across the country and overseas.

Last year, 540,000 wreaths were placed at 908 participating locations.

Local organizers are looking to grow the number of wreaths from the 3,500 placed on gravesites last year to 4,000 or more this year.

“We would need almost nine times that number to place a wreath on each of the 35,000 gravesites currently at Barrancas,” Zitzewitz said. “Spreading the word will go a long way in helping us make that happen.”

Both manpower and money is needed to help make this year’s effort a success.

“We have approximately 150 volunteers, including young Marines, Sea Cadets, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Kiwanis Kids and many adults who arrive at Barrancas that morning in order to have all wreaths placed before the ceremony begins at 11 a.m.,” Zitzewitz said. “As the number of sponsored wreaths increases, the need for additional volunteers continues to grow.”

Sponsoring a wreath cost $15. There is no government funding provided for the project.

“We currently have approximately a 50/50 mix of individual sponsors and corporate sponsors,” Zitzewitz said. “The corporate sponsors have been wonderful in donating wreaths to be placed randomly on gravesites, but some of the most rewarding experiences come from placing wreaths on specific gravesites on behalf of loved ones who are elderly, in poor health or living outside the Pensacola area, and are unable to place the wreaths themselves.”

For more information on the ceremony, to sponsor wreaths, to request a wreath be placed on a specific gravesite or to volunteer to help place the wreaths, contact [email protected] or call (850) 512-7316.

Photos of last year's event courtesy of Wreaths 4 Barrancas volunteers.

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