Gorgeous floral arrangements bring dining
tables to life at special events. But what happens to these designs when the
event is over? Often times, they are thrown away without given a second glance.
But did you know there are organizations that will recycle floral designs to
repurpose for use in your community?
Numerous organizations across the
nation make it their purpose to collect floral arrangements, redesign and
deliver them to those who would benefit from receiving a bouquet of flowers.
The recipients are often hospice & hospital patients, women’s shelters and
other health care facilities.
We had the opportunity to speak with
Christina Sayer, the marketing director of Random Acts of Flowers. Since its
establishment in 2008, the non-profit organization has repurposed over 300,000
floral arrangements and deliver an average of 8,000 bouquets a month
through-out its four locations; Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana;
Knoxville, Tennessee & Tampa Bay, Florida.
“It’s very rewarding to know that we
are making a difference,” Sayer said when asked about what the most rewarding
part of being involved with Random Acts of Flowers. Sayer went on to explain
how receiving a bouquet of flowers has been medically proven to induce happiness,
which can lead to the improvement of an individual’s emotional health. Random
Acts of Flowers not only repurposes floral arrangements to brighten the lives of
their recipients, there is also a green component to the non-profit. Any
flowers that cannot be used for bouquets go to composting instead of ending up
in a landfill.
Sayer had this to say when advising
event planners who are interested in donating their arrangements: “We advise
filling out an online form about two weeks in advance. This gives us enough
time to plan out when we will arrive to take the arrangements and prepare for the
repurposing process.”
To learn more about Random Acts of
Flowers, you can visit their website at www.randomactsofflowers.com.
If you are interested in donating
your arrangements or flowers, we’ve composed a list of organizations with their
contact information and locations to help find the closest one near you.
RANDOM
ACTS OF FLOWERS:
Locations:
Chicago, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Knoxville, Tennessee & Tampa Bay,
Florida
Website: https://randomactsofflowers.org/
Phone:
(865)248-3045
FORGET ME
KNOT FLOWERS:
Locations: South
Jersey and Philadelphia
Website: www.forgetmeknotflowers.org
Phone: (856)
397-1251
FLOWER
ANGELS:
Location:
Cape Cod
Website: https://flowerangelsusa.org/
Phone:
508-280-9869
REFLOWER
PROJECT:
Location:
Boston & South Shore, MA areas
Website: http://reflowerproject.org/
REPEAT
ROSES:
Location:
New York, NY
Website: www.repeatroses.com
Phone:
(212)564-0920
Vasesource has its roots in New York City, where it was founded in
1998 by Itzik Yakobi, a man with grand designs on the floral
industry. Our aim is to provide an exceptional range of products
with personalized customer service. In 2014 Vasesource acquired
YBS Imports, a move that gave wholesale florists access to our
unique designs. Today we supply floral studios, event planners,
hotels and online stores along the East Coast, across the nation,
and around the world.