Mom Wishing Widows Well started with an idea in the kitchen of Marie Martin's home in 2022. The response was so great, she decided to use the idea as the mission behind the nonprofit.
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"We were just overwhelmed at how many people's names we got in," Martin explained. "So, we decided we would do it for Valentine's Day and start and do it for every Valentine's Day," she added.
Dozens of volunteers spend the day before Valentine's Day putting together flower arrangements at The Cary Senior Center.
Local businesses donated to the project.
"We have Harris Taylor and Julie Berry, who is a Floral Manager at Harris Teeter, has been awesome," Martin said.
"She has helped us put this together and shown us how to do the assembly line and everything that we're doing. And then Trader Joe's gave us a bunch of flowers, too. Costco has helped us out. Mellow Mushroom is going to be here today at lunch bringing us pizzas and stuff. So it's just been really outstanding at how people have responded to it."
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Volunteers were able to assemble about 180 and each one will be hand-delivered on Valentine's Day to surprise widows in the Triangle with some love.
"We ask people in their neighborhoods to see if there's anyone that they know that they feel that's going to be alone and give us their names," Martin said. "And, so it's just a wonderful feeling. And everyone who everyone that has done it with me always comes back and says it's just a great feeling. Because Valentine's Day can be a hard day, especially for widows, and for someone that it may be their first."
Mom Wishing Widows Well is already taking names for next year's delivery.
Besides widows, they're also giving some arrangements to Transition Life Center and the Wake nonprofit Passage Home which helps women and families achieve housing and income security.
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