Wreaths Retired- January 15, 2026

Once again, the numerous volunteers at Wreath-Out demonstrated that "Many hands make light work"!

We extend our gratitude to all the volunteers who braved a chilly, overcast morning to assist in removing over 10,000 memorial wreaths at the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Agawam.

As always, we appreciate the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Agawam’s ground crew for their dedication. Their skillful use of their machinery enabled us to swiftly complete this year's Wreaths-Out. 

The commitment of the volunteers and cemetery grounds crew supports our mission to "Honor those who have served, comfort their families, and enhance their eternal resting places."

We also want to thank USA Waste & Recycling for recycling the wreaths. Their continuous support made this event possible.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, gathering over 10,000 wreaths from the graves and transferring them into dumpsters was accomplished in just 2 hours!

Before removal of the wreaths:

Instructions were given to the volunteers:

Rakes, shovels, brooms, and all types of poles helped gather many wreaths quickly:

Carts worked out well!

On to the next section of the cemetery:

Wreaths collected in equipment other than bucket loaders were moved into dumpsters by hand:

The three USA dumpsters were almost overflowing:

After wreaths were removed:

The last to leave the cemetery was the group from the Air Force - many thanks to them!