Florist arranges special Mother’s Day delivery for victims of domestic violence,
Florist has flowers delivered to women with kids in shelters
This Mother’s Day will be particularly tough for women with children fleeing domestic violence.
So florist Megan MacQuarrie is doing her part to bring some beauty and joy into the lives of at least 33 of them, in three of Toronto’s shelters, by providing fresh flowers and words of support — with a little help from her friends in the industry.
“I just think it would be nice to pass along a little love and encouragement to people who certainly are in need right now. Everybody knows how much fun it is to get flowers at your door when you’re not expecting it. I think that would be just a real boost to somebody,” MacQuarrie said.
The florist, who provides arrangements for high-end weddings and other events, set up a non-profit organization several years ago called New Dawn to make use of the blooms which would often go into the trash once events are over.
In the past, the group’s work has been focused on brightening the lives of seniors. But with cases of domestic violence surging during the COVID-19 lockdown, MacQuarrie decided to turn her attention to beleaguered mothers with kids in shelters.
Three locations — Interval House, the Redwood and Red Door Family — identified some clients in need of good cheer, while protecting their privacy.
The pandemic shutdown has cancelled celebrations of all kinds and many florists have been forced to shut their doors, but MacQuarrie put the word out about her initiative through Instagram and was pleasantly surprised by the response.
Event designer Bill Fulghum of William Fulghum Design Associates reached out to a floral wholesaler to see what they had left after the Mother’s Day rush, while Stemz Flowers provided glass vases and Paper & Poste supplied stationery.
MacQuarrie’s Instagram followers suggested messages of love and encouragement to go on the cards.
“I think what Megan’s doing is wonderful,” Fulghum said.
“Mothers in shelters should be recognized too. Helping each other is more important than ever. If my little action helped her big action, then I am glad I was able to help.”
In normal times, MacQuarrie would have a team of volunteers — the organization calls upon adults with autism spectrum disorder — but because of COVID-19, all of the work has fallen to her, including arranging the flowers and deliveries.
“I can’t hook up with any of my volunteers right now, so I’m a one-woman show,” she said.
The shelters guard the privacy and safety of clients closely, so even making the deliveries involved extra preparation, including meeting a volunteer for one shelter at a secondary location to pick up the arrangements, MacQuarrie said.
“This has been kind of a Promethean task to set up, because everybody’s understaffed and it’s Mother’s Day. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a passion project.”