COLUMBUS, Ohio — Todd Davis, a resident of Columbus, knows it’s the simple things in life that mean the most. That’s why every weekend, he and volunteers pick up leftover flowers from weddings and other events and repurpose them into beautiful bouquets.
They then deliver them to senior citizens all over Columbus and people in hospice care.
“This is the first time I ever got flowers in my 69 years,” said Camous Washington, a meals on wheels recipient. “Thank God. I’m 69. Yeah, I just turned 69. And I thank God for these flowers. They mean so much to me.”
Davis is the founder of “Stems for Seniors.” The idea started in 2017 as a family venture. At first, it was a way for his family to bond and do something nice for others. It quickly grew into a full nonprofit with a rotating group of about 75 volunteers. The goal is simple: to use peoples’ big wedding day to help brighten seniors’ day.
The process starts in Davis’ floral studio that doubles as his garage.
“It's wedding season, it's busy,” Davis said. “October is the biggest wedding month in Columbus, followed by September. And so this time of year, we're full of flowers, a little less in the winter. A lot in the summer. But, yeah, a lot of activity here in the floral studio that we call our garage.”
Every week, volunteers turn thousands of flowers into about 200 bouquets, equating to nearly 10,000 this year and endless smiles.
“We call them our bouquet brigade. They do this out of the goodness of their heart and just the desire to pay it forward a little bit,” Davis said. “We say we're delivering smiles. So each smile, not only do we deliver a smile to the person receiving it. We know we're delivering a smile from the person donating it.”
The volunteers also smile knowing they’re extending the life of the flowers, which otherwise would have been thrown in the trash.
“It's special because it's like a kind of a living joy that just keeps giving, per se, and they're not just tossed away,” said Nancy Collier, a volunteer with Stems for Seniors.
Claire Eastman, the chief corporate and community engagement officer for LifeCare Alliance, the nonprofit that provides the program Meals on Wheels, said having Stems for Seniors be a part of the food delivery is a perfect addition.
“Our seniors are homebound, right? That's why we're delivering the Meals on Wheels and they need that daily touch and that interaction and mental health is just as important as physical health,” Eastman said. “So the fact of they're getting these endorphins and they're feeling happy is just going to just make them healthier.”
Davis knows firsthand the power of flowers. He’s been giving them to his wife Nancy weekly for more than 30 years.
“It is true,” Nancy Davis said. “When he comes through the door with some flowers for me I know that that makes me feel special, makes me feel loved.”
Davis’ knows that joy spans genders and generations. They hope the gesture will help seniors’ feel less lonely.
“And that’s what we’re trying to translate for seniors,” Nancy Davis said. “Some of them are here without any family, some of them have been forgotten by their family, or disenfranchised by their family for various reasons and so we know that when we’re bringing flowers to seniors that we’re making their day and they know that someone is thinking of them.”
It’s a small act of kindness they hope will make a big impact. Helping to turn someone’s bad day into a good day and a good day into an even better one.
“They're beautiful,” said Lynn Masucci, a meals on wheels recipient. I haven't got flowers from anybody very often. We rarely, rarely do I get flowers. Thank you all for your lovely service.”
To scheudle a donation you can email “Stems for Seniors” at stemsforseniors@gmail.com or call 336-337-1318. They will pick up your flowers for free and your donations are tax deductible. Right now, they serve the Columbus region, but are hopeful that others will start similar concepts across the state. For more information, visit here.