CharityWatch Investigation: Millions Paid to Family-Owned Company Raises Concerns at Wreaths Across America
Dec 8, 2025
On December 13, 2025, Wreaths Across America will once again blanket Arlington National Cemetery and thousands of participating locations nationwide with donated wreaths. It is a deeply symbolic tradition embraced and effectuated by volunteers across the country. Yet as the organization prepares for another high-profile event, serious questions continue to linger behind the scenes about the charity’s financial transparency and governance, and if it should be accomplishing more relative to the tens of millions of dollars in cash donations it receives.
For years Wreaths Across America (WAA) has cultivated a patriotic image built on honoring veterans, all while quietly channeling staggering sums of donor money into a private family business. CharityWatch’s latest analysis reveals that in 2024 alone, the charity paid over $28.5 million to Worcester Resources, a for-profit company owned by the same family that sits atop WAA’s board and leadership. And this is not an isolated incident. Year after year, WAA has directed tens of millions of charitable dollars into this related commercial enterprise, creating a system in which a nonprofit’s public mission is intertwined with, and financially feeds, a family-run business. Donors who believe they are supporting veterans instead risk subsidizing a closed financial loop that enriches insiders, raises serious questions about self-dealing, and undermines the integrity of the nonprofit sector. The scale, duration, and brazenness of this arrangement demand urgent scrutiny.
Historical Context: CharityWatch’s Previous Reporting on Wreaths Across America
“’If it is the case that the for-profit vendor would collapse or need to significantly downsize were it to lose the business of the charity, it is a glaring conflict of interest to have owners of that vendor on the charity’s board or in key staff positions,’ said Laurie Styron, CEO and executive director of CharityWatch, an independent charity watchdog group.”
“’The owners and their close relatives should either sell off their financial interests in the for-profit vendor, or the interested parties should resign from the charity and allow an independent board to recruit leaders in whom the public can have confidence in their capacity to act independently.’”
The charity’s 2024 tax filing reflects a continuation of this troubling pattern.
2024 Audited Financial Statements
It is unusual for a charity of Wreaths Across America’s size to be nearly a year past its fiscal year-end and still not have completed audited financial statements, especially after already filing its annual tax Form 990 with the IRS for the same financial period. Nonprofits typically wait until their independent audit is finished before completing their tax form. This helps to ensure that the two documents reconcile and that any material errors or omissions are identified before reporting information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). When a charity files its Form 990 without a completed audit, it deprives donors, regulators, and watchdogs of a critical safeguard meant to verify the accuracy and integrity of the organization’s financial disclosures. This practice should raise immediate concerns for donors about WAA’s transparency, governance, and financial reliability.
On November 20, 2025, CharityWatch contacted Wreaths Across America to request a complete copy of its 2024 audited financial statements. We asked the charity to provide these documents by December 4, 2025.
On December 4th, we received an email from Amber Caron, Director of Communications, stating:
“…Wreaths Across America’s audit ending December 31, 2024, is in process. We will make it available after it is finalized…”
As of the publication of this article, no audited financial statements have been provided.
WAA’s 2024 Tax Filing Shows Heavy Dependence on a Related For-Profit Company
According to the Wreaths Across America IRS Form 990 for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the charity reports the following:
Total revenue: $42,543,723
Wreath Sponsorship revenue: $39,945,397 (a component of total revenue)
Total expenses: $43,934,566
Sponsorships, Trucking, & Other Sponsorship Costs: $30,576,579 (a component of total expenses)
Wreaths Across America reports paying $28,512,303 to Worcester Resources in 2024 (IRS Form 990, Schedule L & Part VII). This means that approximately 65% of WAA’s total expenses and approximately 76% of its program-related sponsorship expenses in 2024 flowed directly to a company owned by the same family who is leading and governing the charity.
Family Control and Conflicts of Interest Within WAA’s Governance Structure
The charity’s 2024 Form 990 includes the following disclosures:
Renee Worcester — Director, Officer (“Secretary”) of WAA; Employee of Worcester Wreath.
Sarah Worcester — Director of WAA; Employee of Worcester Wreath.
Rob (Morrill Worcester II) and Michael Worcester — Husbands of Renee and Sarah; owners of the majority interest in Worcester Wreath.
Karen Worcester — Executive Director of WAA (paid $0 salary), mother of Rob and Michael, and reported as working 40 hours per week for the charity.
Pamela Slaven-Lee — WAA Director; daughter of Karen Worcester.
Renee Worcester and Sarah Worcester — Sisters-in-law.
This means that:
A large portion of WAA’s board includes family members connected by blood or marriage.
Several of those same family members have direct financial interests in the for-profit company.
The Executive Director is the mother of the owners of the charity’s primary vendor.
WAA reports that 15 of its 18 board members are “independent,” but CharityWatch questions the functional independence of any board where multiple voting members are closely related and have substantial financial interests connected to the charity’s primary vendor.
This structure raises serious concerns about:
Whether related-party transactions are being evaluated objectively
Whether independent oversight is meaningful or only symbolic
Whether fiduciary duties to the charity are being fully upheld
Governance Policies Exist on Paper, But May Not Be Meaningfully Enforced
WAA reports having:
A conflict of interest policy
A whistleblower policy
A document retention and destruction policy
An independent audit
However, given the repeated pattern of multi-million-dollar payments to a family-owned vendor, and the extensive Worcester family involvement in WAA’s board and management, CharityWatch questions whether these governance policies are sufficient to mitigate the charity’s conflicts of interest.
Policies on paper do not guarantee effective governance.
CharityWatch’s “?” Rating and Why Donors Should Proceed With Caution
Due to the governance issues outlined above, CharityWatch has assigned Wreaths Across America a “?” rating for fiscal 2024.
A “?” rating means CharityWatch does not have confidence that the charity’s financial reporting is reliable enough to calculate an accurate program percentage or cost to raise $100.
Conclusion
Wreaths Across America plays a visible and emotionally resonant role in honoring veterans. However, the charity’s persistent related-party spending and family-dominated leadership structure raise serious concerns about donor protection and board independence.
Until WAA meaningfully addresses these issues and provides full transparency, including timely audited financials, CharityWatch urges donors to exercise caution when considering if this charity is worthy of their cash donations.
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