In what is expected to be one of largest floral gifts The Bloom Project will receive this year, following Mother’s Day many floral retailers – including Trader Joe’s and Safeway – will donate flowers that have gone unsold. As it does year round, the Central Oregon-based nonprofit will then repurpose the arrangements for hospice and palliative care patients.
“Bringing joy and beauty to patients and their families while they are going through a difficult time is an incredible feeling,” said The Bloom Project’s founder and president Heidi Berkman. “Our team and wonderful partners give these flowers a second life, bringing a smile to someone who needs it most.”
A study from Rutgers University shows that flowers trigger happy emotions. Flowers have a long-term positive impact on moods, and the presence of floral arrangements in a room leads to increased contact between family and friends, which is much needed among hospice and palliative care patients.
“Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room,” said Jeannette Haviland-Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Rutgers and lead researcher on the study. “They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.”
The Bloom Project receives each of its flowers from donations provided by floral distributors, local stores and community members. Volunteers repurpose the flowers and create beautiful bouquets, ready to deliver to local hospice and palliative care patients. Since The Bloom Project’s inception in 2009, it has distributed more than 150,000 bouquets to hospice patients throughout the region, with more than 51,000 donated volunteer hours.
Berkman and her team of volunteers are committed to sustainable business practices. Not only are they eco-friendly in their efforts to repurpose flowers from their partners, but also by composting floral waste.
About The Bloom Project
Founded in 2007 by Heidi Berkman in Bend, Ore., The Bloom Project is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that provides fresh floral bouquets to hospice and palliative care patients. Now with a location in Portland, Ore., which opened in 2013, The Bloom Project receives each of its flowers from donations provided by wholesale floral companies, growers and local grocery stores. The flowers are repurposed by volunteers into beautiful bouquets ready to deliver to local hospice and palliative care patients. Volunteers come from all different backgrounds; many are retired or have no floral experience. Members of the team with floral design experience host training sessions, teaching new volunteers how to: care for the flowers, identify which flowers to keep and properly arrange a bouquet. Berkman and her team of volunteers are committed to sustainable business practices. Not only are they eco-friendly in their efforts to repurpose flowers from their partners, but also by composting floral waste. For more information, please visit: http://thebloomproject.org.
