Holiday helper keeps Stanwood farm in the green

Published 12:01 am Thursday, December 17, 2009

STANWOOD — Deanna Gould isn’t looking for a Christmas tree this year, but she can tell others where they might find one.

Gould, who owns Knock-Knock Housekeeping in Bellevue, learned the owners of Alan Acres Tree Farm were struggling to keep the family farm going after she started cleaning their home.

Toni LaChapelle and Al Dreas began running the family farm after the deaths of the previous owners, LaChapelle’s stepfather, Alan Elliot, in December 2007, and her mother, Rusty Elliott, in January 2008. Her mother started planting trees in her own Marysville back yard in 1960, LaChapelle said. Eight years later, Elliott leased the property in Stanwood.

She added the 40 acres across the street to the farm in 1980 and managed to care for the total 60-acre farm until she died. She told her daughter she wanted to keep the farm at 27314 36th Ave. NW open for at least one more year.

The couple decided to continue the family tradition in her memory.

LaChapelle said she soon discovered that running a tree farm isn’t easy, even with the knowledge she gained while helping at the farm in previous years. About half of the 3,000 trees were lost after they were planted too deep last year and snow storms kept many people from even making it out to the farm.

The couple worried that a similar experience this year would leave them unable to run the farm.

Gould, 27, heard the story and felt compelled to help.

“I wanted to help get the word out that the farm is open,” she said. “They’re such an amazing couple. They have been giving back their whole lives, and this is probably the first opportunity others have had to help them.”

The Monroe resident wrote a letter to 200 clients, posted an ad online and started volunteering Nov. 27 at the farm’s opening day.

She helps people find where they can pay for their trees or borrow a saw, pours cup after cup of hot chocolate and gives quick recommendations on where people have found the tallest trees. On a recent Saturday, she smiled and listened quietly as one customer from Camano Island, Amy Dawson, told LaChapelle that she remembers coming to the tree farm as a little girl. Dawson brought her 7-year-old daughter to the farm so she could have the experience.

“I was so happy to see you guys are still around,” she said. “The tree smells so good. I can’t wait to get it in the house.”

Every year during the holidays, Gould tries to give something back, she said.

Gould started her business in 2005 and said she has also seen her employees decide to donate their time and make individual contributions to those who need help since the company started. In 2008, her employees donated their holiday bonuses to help six families. A single thank-you disappointed Gould and her employees and they decided to find a different way to help.

“This year we decided to help a struggling business,” she said.

Gould and her employees started a word-of-mouth campaign about the struggling tree farm among clients, family and friends and volunteered their time to help LaChapelle get ready for opening day.

“Deanna has worked pretty hard,” LaChapelle said. “She’s been coming out her on her own time. She’s just a real sweetheart.”

The farm isn’t asking for donations, Gould said.

The overall goal is simply to keep the tree farm open year after year for new generations.

“We just want people who have been here in the past to come back again,” she said

Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491, adaybert@heraldnet.com.