Volunteers in Louisville Deliver 90,000 Vases to Hospice Patients Since 2006

More than 90,000 vases of cut flowers have been delivered to nursing homes, hospitals, and shelters in Louisville since 2006. The deliveries are the work of the Flower Buds, a volunteer group that meets weekly at Crescent Hill Baptist Church to arrange discarded blooms.

The group sources flowers from weddings, funerals, wholesalers, supermarkets, florists, galas, banquets, and other community events. Jodie Raible, a volunteer with the group, explained that companies like Kroger often overbuy flowers they cannot sell. The Flower Buds pick up these unsold arrangements, cut and clean the stems, and place them in vases. They then transport the finished arrangements to care facilities.

The group sends out approximately 100 vases every week. These deliveries go to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, shelters, and the VA hospital. Stephanie Mullins, another volunteer, specifically brings flowers to Up for Women and Children, which is a day homeless shelter for women. She has been part of the group for 18 years. Mullins said she loves flowers and chose this activity as her retirement project.

Volunteer Clem Russell is a veteran who takes particular pride in delivering flowers to the VA hospital. The group delivers to the hospice unit at that facility. Russell noted that the patients and their families are happy to see the fresh flowers arrive. He stated that people in the end stages of life want to be cheered up. Raible agreed, saying that brightening the environment for those patients is a key goal.

The Flower Buds began with a small core of six to eight volunteers. The group has since grown to 40 members. This expansion has allowed them to maintain their weekly delivery schedule over the past two decades. The volunteers gather inside the church each week to sort and arrange the donated flowers. The process turns discarded blooms into gifts for residents of local care facilities.

Mullins highlighted the environmental benefit of the project. She noted that all of the flowers used by the group would otherwise be thrown in the garbage. By collecting and arranging the blooms, the volunteers put them to good use. The group continues to collect donations from various local sources. They maintain their routine of delivering fresh flowers to those in need.