Military families rake in lawn care

Thanksgiving was tough enough this year for Colleen Maloney-Mercier, whose husband, Air Force 1st Lt. Paul Mercier, is thousands of miles away in Iraq.

Her burden has been physical as well as emotional. Not having her husband to help with household chores such as mowing the lawn or raking leaves at their home in Towson, Md., adds to her already heavy load.

But a new program called GreenCare for Troops has made things a bit easier for Mrs. Maloney-Mercier and hundreds like her.

The program, started by Minnesota-based Project EverGreen, provides free lawn care and maintenance for military families whose primary provider is deployed overseas. The program connects families nationwide with local lawn and landscape firms that volunteer their services.

“As an Air Force wife, it is a wonderful service to me,” Mrs. Maloney-Mercier said.

Lt. Mercier, a pilot, left for Iraq in October and will not be home until late December.

Because of her husband’s military obligations, the couple had relocated frequently before settling in Maryland earlier this year.

“This is the first house that we have owned,” said Mrs. Maloney-Mercier, 31, a speech language pathologist.

With the new house came responsibilities, which at times have overwhelmed her.

Lt. Mercier, 31, is on his second tour of duty in Iraq this year, after being deployed from June to August.

“When Paul was deployed [earlier], my father was flying down every three to four weeks from Connecticut to cut the grass and help me with the yard upkeep,” she said.

Relief came when her mother read about the GreenCare program in a Connecticut newspaper. Since October, a local branch of the Brickman Group Ltd. landscaping company in Gaithersburg has been assisting Mrs. Maloney-Mercier with her landscaping needs.

“Once I got their number, all it took was one phone call, and they have been showing up ever since to help me out,” Mrs. Maloney-Mercier said.

One of more than 300 landscaping companies nationwide participating in the program, Brickman has coordinated participation from nearly 60 of its branches that are in proximity to military bases, said Debra Holder, the company’s director of industry relations.

Each branch has adopted a family and provided basic landscape maintenance, free of charge.

“The response has been very positive,” Miss Holder said. “In fact, [Lt. Mercier] has put up a Project EverGreen sign in Iraq in appreciation.”

The Brickman workers, who initially were told only to mow the lawn, have gone “above and beyond” the call of duty, Mrs. Maloney-Mercier said.

“They’ve cut the grass, picked up all of the fallen leaves, trimmed our bushes, pruned trees when necessary, sprayed for insects and pests around the outside of the home, and did all of the edging along sidewalks and the driveway,” she said.

Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, said it is a chance to show that they are ready to help the troops.

“We understand that men and women on active duty away from home make financial, as well as emotional sacrifices,” Mr. Gardner said. “Caring for their lawns and landscapes is a tangible way for our industry to ease that burden.”

The helping hand has enabled Mrs. Maloney-Mercier to focus on other things, such as preparing for the first Thanksgiving dinner in their new home.

Her parents are in town, as are her husband’s parents from Massachusetts.

“Even though Paul cannot be with us, we thought it would be fun,” she said. “Both my parents and my in-laws have been a wonderful help in fixing up the house, so this was a way for me to say thanks.”