Every fall season, Trees for tuition opens pumpkin patches at Atlanta schoolyards and community spaces, offering rows of pumpkins, hay bales, and seasonal decorations. The nonprofit uses these fall-themed pop-ups to raise scholarship funds for local students.
At Virginia-Highland Elementary School, the Trees for Tuition pumpkin patch features rows of pumpkins, hay bales and decorations. Behind the scenes, the operation, which supports Atlanta students, has taken months of planning.
James Grissett, who helps oversee Trees for Tuition’s seasonal lots, said his tasks include scheduling and training.
“I help oversee Trees for Tuition’s seasonal lots and handle a lot of the scheduling and training,” Grissett said. “[I] handle everything from scheduling and training to onboarding and selling operations. It’s a little bit of everything.”
In addition to pumpkin patches, Trees for Tuition also operates several Christmas tree lots across Atlanta during the winter season. The organization transforms local fields and schoolyards into festive spaces, offering lights and hands-on help for families picking out their holiday centerpiece.
“I’m right below the two owners,” Grissett said. “I help run all the lots – two pumpkin patches and seven Christmas tree lots. It’s chaotic sometimes, but seeing customers and families enjoy it makes it worth it. It’s cool to be a part of something that brings people together.”
Grisset has worked with Trees for Tuition for years and said the fall season kicks off a wave of community engagement. The Virginia-Highland patch is staffed by volunteers and seasonal workers. Proceeds from pumpkin and Christmas tree sales help support scholarship funds, as well as other Atlanta non-profits and local initiatives.
“It’s the start of the start of the fall season,” Grissett said. “Summer’s ending, the weather’s getting cooler, people start looking for pumpkins and that Halloween spirit. I think most people celebrate it in some way – it’s just a part of the seasonal shift.”
Trees for Tuition is a seasonal fundraiser that supports Atlanta students through college scholarships and community partnerships. In 2021, the organization launched its own scholarship fund, awarding six Atlanta students $2,000 each to help cover college expenses. All Atlanta students can apply for the Trees for Tuition Scholarship. In 2020, it donated $2,775 to the Achieve Atlanta Scholarship Fund, surpassing its original goal of $1,500, to support students in the Atlanta Public School system. One of the many local families who support the fundraiser is Midtown resident Pam Hosokawa, who visits the Virginia-Highland patch each year with her children.
“It’s nice knowing that something we do every year – just picking out pumpkins- actually helps students in our community,” Hosokawa said.
Each October, volunteers and staff hang string lights, inflate Halloween decorations and arrange hundreds of pumpkins in neat rows. Decatur High School sophomore Trini Romero, an annual visitor, views the patch as a reminder of family traditions and the shift into a new season.
“It’s so interesting to know that something as simple as a pumpkin patch can pay for my college tuition,” Romero said. “It makes the whole thing feel more meaningful, like we are a part of something bigger than just buying a pumpkin.”
“Even if the weather is still warm, looking at pumpkins reminds me that fall is here,” Romero said..“I could be worried or stressed about school, but seeing pumpkins not only reminds me it’s getting cooler, but also [of] the traditions I do with my family. We carve pumpkins, roast the seeds and watch horror movies.”
After the patch opens, residents can bring their families to pick pumpkins. Hosokawa feels that the patch has become part of her family’s seasonal tradition and adds to the neighborhood’s ambience.
“We live just a few blocks away from the patch, so it’s easy to stop by,” Hosokawa said. “My daughter Eva always picks out her favorite pumpkins, and my other daughter Kaiya helps decorate the porch and front yard. It’s one of those things that makes the neighborhood extra special, and feel like home.”
John Downey, Inter Atlanta Football Club’s chief soccer officer and interim chief operating officer, has been working with Trees for Tuition’s managers since the business started in 2015. Each holiday season, the organization sets up Christmas tree lots at Inter Atlanta’s soccer fields, creating a marketplace with rows of trees and string lights, as well as volunteers and staff available and ready to help customers pick out the perfect tree and secure them to their vehicles. Downey sees potential for the same kind of setup during the fall, possibly expanding the operation to pumpkin patches at the fields, as well.
“Trees for Tuition are great to work with,” Downey said. “They’re Midtown and Inter Atlanta alumni. I admire most the work they do — giving back to the community with scholarships. And who doesn’t love having convenient access to Christmas trees and pumpkins, especially when it goes to a good cause?”
Downey said pumpkins embody the essence of fall, bringing seasonal cheer to the community. At the developing field in Glenwood Park, he hopes to continue his partnership with Trees for Tuition. Looking ahead, he said he’s excited about the possibility of adding a pumpkin patch to the space.
“I think it would be great to have a pumpkin patch at the new field,” Downey said. “If they want to continue our partnership, possibly at the new field at Glenwood Park, we would definitely consider doing so. Pumpkin patches and pumpkins are the gateway to the fall season. I don’t know about everybody else, but when I see a jack-o’-lantern, I know Halloween is coming, which means the weather will get cooler. Pumpkins are a big part of the season and get people excited about the upcoming holiday season.”
