Words by Smiley Team
Unlike most married couples, who celebrate Valentine’s Day with a nice dinner, Ashley Manning and her husband delivered bouquets of flowers to widows in their surrounding area.
It's a tradition Ashley has done for a few years now. During her Valentine's Day widow outreach last year, the North Carolina-based florist asked her Instagram followers to send her the names and addresses of widows in her area so she could deliver the flower arrangements. In the end, she delivered 121 arrangements to widows, exceeding her initial goal of 25.
The project has grown significantly this year – and on Monday 14 February 2022, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, Ashley delivered 400 floral arrangements.
[Read more: Charity Vet Keeps Little Hearts Beating on Valentine's Day]
"This is a beautiful way to celebrate love on this day for the people in our community,” she shared on her company’s Facebook page.
Ashley had 200 volunteers helping her with project over the weekend. She also received help from local businesses and franchises, and estimated that she spent around $14,000 on flowers. The number of stems in each arrangement will be between 30 to 35.
"I really do think it’s important that people know that something like this is just such a bigger effort than one person. I couldn’t do it myself. And every $5 donation and every $1,000 donation means a lot," Ashley told Fox Digital News.
There is something about caring for the needs of widows, in particular, that Ashley finds particularly rewarding. "I just think that that is a population that's sometimes overlooked," she said.
According to census.gov, widowhood is particularly common among older women compared to older men due to differences in life expectancies. Women on average live longer than men.
Among those 75 years or older who had ever married, 58% of women and 28% of men had experienced the death of a spouse in their lifetime, making this stage of life particularly difficult for older adults.
This initiative started when a gift bag and flowers were delivered to an elderly neighbor by Ashley and her children. Despite never have meeting her neighbor, Ashley was aware that she was a widower.
When Ashley explained why she was delivering the package, the neighbor expressed how thankful she was and began to cry. Ashley then knew that this project was much bigger than delivering flowers.
“We stood there and talked to her and she told us that her husband had been gone for so long. And she said, ‘When they’re gone for so long, you forget to be sad on days like this because you forget what it was like to even get things on Valentine’s Day,” said Ashley.
Ashley hopes to turn this project into a nonprofit in the future.
SUPPORT THE SHOP: If you're interested in learning more or donating to this cause, follow her floral shop that gives back, Pretty Things by AE Manning.
DONATE FLOWERS: You can also visit her website and donate to the Valentine’s Day Widow Outreach.
VOLUNTEER: The Widows Empowerment Trust is a nonprofit support those struggling with grief. Find out more and support here.
