(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Christmas Tree Project has been spreading holiday joy to families in need since 2010 and on Saturday, Dec. 14, hundreds of people lined up to get their free Christmas tree for the holidays. Over 500 people registered to receive a tree in Colorado Springs, and over 300 were given away, some were decorated, some artificial, and some live. Mayor Yemi Mobolade attended to help spread the holiday cheer. Courtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Cora MitchellCourtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Cora MitchellCourtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Cora MitchellCourtesy: FOX21 News Photojournalist Cora Mitchell In 2010, Co-Founder David Fein and his wife bought a new Christmas Tree and they were wondering what to do with their old one when they came up with the idea to offer it for free on Craigslist. "We put a one-line ad that said "Free Christmas tree to a family with children, and we got 20 responses in an hour," said Fein. "So we gave our tree away, and my wife had 20 bucks, from a principal to do something good with, like a pay-it-forward thing. So she said 'Let's throw in that $20, pitch in the rest, and buy the boys home a tree.' And then our friends started pitching in some money... and we gave away 300 trees that year." The project that started with a Craigslist ad, a single tree, and $20 has now spread to a global mission, with over 7,000 trees having been given away in the U.S., Mexico, South Africa, India, Kenya, and Ethiopia since the project started. "A Christmas tree means a lot more than just a Christmas tree. It's hope, it's joy, it's a Christmas spirit," said Fein. "And sometimes it's a first Christmas tree. Sometimes it's the last Christmas tree. So everybody has a reason for wanting a Christmas tree. And we help we help make that happen."